MYSTICISM: ITS TRUE NATURE

AND VALUE

IMPRIM6 POTEST.

JACOBUS AUGUSTINUS,
ARCHIEP.
Edimburoi, die
S.

ANDR. ET EDIMBURGEN.

i8 Julii 1910.

MYSTICISM:
ITS

TRUE NATURE AND VALUE

WITH A TRANSLATION OF THE "MYSTICAL THEOLOGY" OF DIONYSIUS, AND OF THE LETTERS TO CAIUS AND DOROTHEUS
(l, 2

AND

5)

^^-Tc,*^

-,....-

^^
(

APR 24
/;.

1912

A.

B.

SHARPE,

M.A.

"

Oefo?

yv6(po<i

ecrJ

to UTrpocTLTOV 0W9
5

eV

KaroiKeiv 6 Seoi Xeyerat."

Dionysius, Ep.
" Aliis loquor communia,
et figuris dulciter
aliis specialia
;

ad Dorotheum.

aliquibus in signis
in

appareo

quibusdam vero
3,

multo lumine

revelo mysteria."

De

Imitatione Christie

43.

LONDON
15

SANDS & COMPANY KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN, AND EDINBURGH

ST.
B.

LOUIS MO.

HERDER

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I

TWO IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

PAGES

Knowledge

is

Natural knowledge theoretical cannot be experimental Experimental knowledge of God always desired Mystical theology Two points of view, the natural and the superlimited by sense-experience

either experimental or theoretical, but

is

of God, through reason or revelation,

it

is

natural

They

are

not

naturally opposed, but

is

complementary

Natural mysticism

the attempt

either to transcend the limitations of sense or to find

transcendental knowledge within them

Funda-

mental difference between these two methods Neither is more than a mental attitude Supernatural mysticism implies the transcendence of God, on the one hand and on the other hand, the inability of the natural powers alone to attain to immediate knowledge of Him Catholic idea of mysticism True mysticism rightly said to be

empirical Compared
principles
is

lectual

of

with sensation The intelmystical knowledge not

essentially different

ledge

What to be understood by the Supernatural The Via Remotionis Supernatural llumination not contrary to nature method Natural theories to account for supernatural mysticism Reasons for rejecting them TheoIts

from those of ordinary know-

logical

and

evidential value of the subject

1-49


viii

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
II

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
Origin of the term Mysticism in the Church In Greek philosophy Dionysius Social conditions which bring mysticism into prominence Spurious

PAGES

mysticism

50-60

CHAPTER

III

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

Mystical experience essentially supernatural Three modes of relation of creatures to the Creator

Passivity Mystical Mystical and ordinary religious experience Mystical certitude Mystical experience indescribable Necessity of preparation Gerson Eckhart, Tauler Three stages St Teresa Visions and locutions Self-delusion
" Natural "

contemplation

cognition and sensation

61-87

CHAPTER
Mystical "vision,"
soul can see

IV

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

how to be understood How the God The Beatific Vision Doctrine of St Thomas St Paul's visions Transiency of mystical state Spiritual marriage The lumen

gloriae

St

Augustine's classification
intellectual vision

Uncer-

tainty of sensible

and imaginary impressions as

compared with
supernatural

All three truly

88-104

CHAPTER V
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM
The
object of mystical contemplation perceived

by a

natural process, and therefore capable of analysis No theory on the subject formulated by mystica


CONTENTS
writers Three different views, (i) Existence of a special mystical faculty. This theory is superfluous. (2) That all apparently mystical states are merely automatic, and generally of pathological
origin. This implies the presupposition that genuine mysticism is impossible. (3) That mystical communications really take place, but are apprehended by the same psychical process which transmits automatic suggestion. This practically coincides with the view of ecclesiastical authority Difficulty of distinguishing, how caused

ix

PAGES

105-121

CHAPTER
EVIL
Affinity of the

VI

problem with mysticism

The solution

of mystics often appears unsatisfactory to others Evil due to created freewill

Divine will Evil negative Practical character of mystical solution compared with the philosophical or theoretical Schopenhauer, Hartmann and " Ethical " religions Benefits of mysticism in this respect not restricted to mystics 122-135

Independence of the

CHAPTER

VII

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

Terms explained Spinoza, Hegel and Mysticism The "ground'' Immanence and transcendence

not ontologically distinct

136-145

CHAPTER

VIII

PLOTINUS
Philosophy and mysticism of Plotinus Two possible views of his relation to Christian mysticism
.
.

146-158


CONTENTS
CHAPTER
IX

HERETICAL MYSTICS
PAGES
Distinction clear between " Pragmatic " cism
test, twofold application Mysticism, theosophy and theology Intrinsicdistinction between mystical experience and deductions from it Doctrines not to be guaranteed by mystical origin Necessary features of genuine mysticism The Beghards Boehme Swedenborg Quietism Distinction between doctrines and mystical experiences equally applied to orthodox mystics St Teresa St John of the Cross Margaret Mary Alacoque .159-176

true

and spurious mysti-

CHAPTER X
MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY

AND RELIGION

Obstacles to philosophical treatment of mysticism in its transcendental aspect Experimental evidence of mysticism in support of natural theology

object of mysticism beyond the reach of explanation per causas Mysticism a form of religious experience, but not one guaranteed to Christians Its relation to " institutional" religion,

The

and

continuous with and interpenetrated by it The Imitation of Christ Mystical experience perhaps occasionally granted to non-mystics

to ordinary religious experience as

177-192

CHAPTER

XI

DIONYSIUS
History of the Dionysian writings Authorship and character Can they be considered forgeries-

Modern

theories, etc.

193-206

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
CHAP.

xi

XII

THE "MYSTICAL THEOLOGY" OF DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE

PAGES
is.

I. What the Divine Darkness

II.

How to be united with,

to

and

to give praise
all

Him who
all.

is

the cause of

things

and above
III.

What

is

affirmed of God, and what

is

denied of Him.
IV.

That He who
That He who

is

the supreme cause of

is

all

sensible things

Himself no part of

those things. V.
is

the supreme cause of

all

intelligible things is

Himself no part of

those things.

Letter
I.

To

Caius the

Monk The
is

ignorance by
is

means of which God

II.

known
it.

above
above
divine

sense-knowledge, not below

To the Same In what sense God

the principle of divinity.

is

V.

To

Dorotheus the Deacon darkness further explained.

The

207-229

MYSTICISM ITS TRUE NATURE

:

AND VALUE
CHAPTER
TWO
Mysticism,
in
I

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
the wide and
is

somewhat

loose

sense in which the term

commonly

used,

may be
in
all

considered as the

final

outcome of a

congenital desire for knowledge which appears

animate

creatures.

In

children
it

and
takes
;

savages, as also in the lower animals,

the
in

rudimentary form of sensitive curiosity

more

fully

developed rational
to

natures

it

becomes the desire

understand the inner

nature of things, and finally extends itself to

that obscure region, dimly recognised

by

all

men, which

lies

beyond the sphere of

of two

things,

and of the senses by which things are perceived.

But knowledge

is

kinds

MYSTICISM
and concrete, or experimental and

abstract

theoretical.

We

know

for certain in

one way

that there are coins in the

Bank

of England,

but

we know that our own pockets the one we have

senses,

there are similar coins in

in

quite

another

way

in

the direct evidence of our

and

in

the other the senses

part, but not

indeed

have their necessary

by way of

direct contact with the object of our

knowremark

ledge.

It

is

scarcely

necessary to

that these two kinds of

in

knowledge go hand
in
;

hand

the

theoretical

the

last

resort

depends on the experimental

and

certain as

we may be
cal

of the correctness of our theoreti-

knowledge, we are seldom content without

it

putting
to

in practice,

when

it
it

is

in

our power

do

so,
is,

and thus proving

by experiment.

There
mental
point

however, a point at which the expericeases

to

test

be possible, and that

:

is

fixed

by the

limits of our senses

we

cannot know anything experimentally which

is

not sensible, or capable of being embodied

in sensible things, as

a mechanical or chemical
in

principle

is

embodied

the substances with

which experiments are made.

But our senses


TWO
IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
3

take us only a very short distance into the

nature of things
selves
"

what
;

things are "in them-

on what principle they are what they

is

are

what

the inward nature of the perpetual

changes they undergo

these

on such questions as
freely,

we can

theorise

and

can

no

doubt reach some conclusions which we are

able to regard as absolutely certain.

But we
at

must be content with theoretical certainty

most, since experiment in these matters
of our power.
it

is

out
as

But theory
is

itself

founded
of

necessarily

on experimental knowledge
limit,

must also have a

it

which

it

reaches

when
sense

has exhausted

the
it

implications

experience

when
can

has, so to speak, used

up

the raw material of thought supplied by sensa-

make no theory about a thing we have never seen or with which we have
tion.

We

never been brought into contact by any of

the organs of sense.

Such a thing

is

merely
before

x; we must know what

stands

for,

we can say anything at all about it. Our imagination may make it stand for anything we please, but what we make it represent can only be some sense impression that we

4
recall

MYSTICISM
from the
at
past,

or

some idea

that

we

have

some time abstracted from our sense

obviously

knowledge.

Now we
theoretical

reach

the

limit

of

knowledge when we come

to the
is

end (which from another point of view

the

beginning) of everything.

Here we are
:

indeed far beyond the bounds of sense

but

we can go no
deal

farther.

There may be a great

but

beyond the end, or before the beginning,

of what

we understand by everything
find

we can
properly

out

nothing about
so.

it

for

we

have no means of doing

speaking,
;

We

cannot,

even

imagine

anything

about

it

for

imagination can only repeat for

us what

we

already

know

and that can have

all

no place beyond the beginning of

able things.

know-

When we

see a stream of water,

we can be quite certain that it has a source, and we may be able to perceive indications of
the source's nature and immediate surroundings:

but the stream can

lies

tell

us nothing of what

beyond

its

source

of the geography of the

and the
like.

country, the character of the inhabitants, their

political organisation

All these

TWO
are

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
;

beyond the beginning of the stream

for ourselves, or

we

can find out what they are only by going there

and seeing

by getting some
about them.

one who has been there

to tell us

Now
in

the limit of our theoretical knowledge

this

world

is

reached when we attain to

the concept of a First Cause, or the necessary

being which produces, underlies and upholds

the contingent and changeable universe
that
say,
;

and

cause and necessary being, needless to

is

God.
on

We

have an absolute theoretical

certainty of the existence of God, depending

ultimately

facts

of

experience

and we
More-

have, or

may

have,

many

practical evidences

of His power,
over,

wisdom and goodness.

He

has by various means told us things

about Himself which

we

could not otherwise

have known.
ledge of
in the

But

direct experimental

knowcannot

Him we

have and can have none,

ordinary course of things.

We

see

Him, or touch Him, or hear Him.

Yet

the more certain

the

men

are

of

His existence, minds

more conscious they are of His love and

and the more deeply
their

goodness,

are penetrated by the idea of His perfection,

MYSTICISM

the more they inevitably long for

some such
as,

experimental

knowledge of
But

Him

within

our earthly experience, the senses alone can

obtain for us.
the case,
is

this,
;

from the nature of

impossible

God

is

no more

to

be directly apprehended by our senses than

an

idea, a
Is there

thought or an emotion.
then no third

way by which we may

not only

know
all

but feel the presence of

God
not

by which

that

He

is

to us

may become
is

merely theoretical certainty, but a

experience
?

fact of direct

Is

there,

that

to

say,

any

means by which, though we cannot bring Him

down

to the world of sense,

we may

ourselves,

in virtue of

our partially spiritual nature, ascend

to the spiritual world

It is

and there behold Him.'*

the desire and the search for such a

to

means of approach
*^

God

that has produced

in

Mysticism or " Mystical Theology," which

its

general aspect

is

the experience, real or

supposed, of actual quasi-physical contact with

God

an

reality

known by many, though by many more

experience

undoubtedly

in
it

has beyond question been merely imagined.

" Speculative "

or

Dogmatic

Theology

is

TWO
like the
tiie
is

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
tells

theory of optics, which

is,

us what

eye

and how
itself,

it

sees
all

mystical theology
that
it

the sight

with

involves of

exercise
is

and
;

training.

Speculative
is

theology
art.

a science

mystical theology

an

There are two points of view from which

this

art

may be

regarded,

the

natural

and
any
each,

the

supernatural.

They
of
the
fact,

do

not

by
;

means
indeed,

necessarily exclude one another

in

point

implies

the

other.

But

neglect

of

supernatural

side

of

mysticism has led to an altogether mistaken

notion of what mysticism

has always,
to

until
it

very

recently,

been held

mean
the

and

must be admitted that forgetfulness of the

natural
side,

consisting

of

limitations,

necessities

and obligations of humanity, has

too often been the cause of degenerate and

extravagant superstition, with

ant
evils.
its

its

many
side,

attend-

Viewed simply on
cism

natural

mystior
less

appears
to

as

an attempt, more

successful,

pass

through or overleap the

barrier

of material things,

and so

to

enter

the presence from the sight of which

we

are

MYSTICISM
by our subjection
in

ordinarily excluded
senses.

to the
this

There are two ways

which

attempt
is

may be and

has been made.

One
finite

by an endeavour

to pass

beyond the

and sensible world by the concentration upon

one point of those mental or which
belong
reality
in in

spiritual

forces
to

every
to

individual

man appear
of

more

the

world

permanent

than to that of transient appearance

life
is

which our bodily

out
;

spent.

The mind
by a powerand

resolutely casts

all

figures
itself,

and ideas of

sensible things
ful
effort,

it

empties
its

of
its

all

acquired furniture,

strives in

own

original nakedness to behold

the naked reality that exists behind the

many-

coloured vesture of sense.

Plotinus,

Proclus

and
road,

their disciples, travelling

by

this difficult

found, or

seemed

to

find,

the

springs
unity

of being in the abstract and absolute

which

lies

behind the ever-expanding variety

of the created world.

But whether
to

in

that

remote and desolate region

penetrated they found

which

they

anything which they

had not brought with them from the world

of
hght,
colour

and

warmth

which

they

TWO
ful.

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

sought to abandon,

may be
is

considered doubtat
is

That they did not

any

rate

the

view of those whose object

the same, but

of theirs.

who adopt a method

true one,
is

the reverse

That method, by some considered the only

to

look for mystical knowledge

intellectual
lot
is

not beyond, but in the material,

and emotional
It

life

in

which our

cast.

regards this

world as

but a small

frag-

ment of a much larger whole, and as made

up of many elements,
discoverable,
all

of which
as
to

are

not

so

at

least

be

clearly

distinguished
intellectual
is,

by either

our

bodily

or

our
it

faculties.

But every part of

in this view,

connected with and symbolic

It

of something infinitely greater than itself

embodies and
cosmic laws
;

illustrates the
it

operation of vast

gives

evidence of a divine

benevolence which reaches further than our

utmost vision can follow

from
the

it

is

lit

by a ray
that
lies

sun

of

perfect

beauty

below the horizon of earthly existence.

"a

Thus
"

man's reach must exceed his grasp

as

he goes

through

life

his

mind constructs

from the "broken arc" of natural experience

lo

MYSTICISM
" perfect

the
in

round

"

of

heavenly beatitude
his

the

discords
celestial

of

earth

ear

catches

echoes of

harmonies, and the darkest

places of this world are invested with "clouds

of glory" for those

life

who
has

thus "see into the

of things."

Thus

mysticism

been

called

"the

attempt to realise the presence of the living

God

in

the

soul

and

in

nature,
realise
in

or,

more

generally,

the attempt to

thought

and feeling the immanence of the temporal

in

the

eternal,

and

of

the

eternal

in

the

temporal."^

No

one can dispute the universal right of

defining terms according to taste and fancy

and those who define or describe mysticism

in

this
if

way have a
this
is

perfect

right

to

do

so.

But

mysticism,

then
for

surely

we

ought to have another name

the other

method the

"tremendous journey towards

"

the mysterious Isles of Fire, the Icelands of

abstraction and of love

undertaken by Philo,
Bampton
Introd.

Plotinus or Proclus."
*

W.
I.

R. Inge, "Christian

Mysticism,"

Lectures,,

Lect.
^

M.dit\.QxX\nc\i,

Ruysbroeck and the Mystics.

TWO

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
to

ii

There would seem

be

little

in

common

between the suggestive and symbolic aspect

of things in which the world appears as the
true manifestation of

God, and that

to

in

which

the

same world
which
sight.

is

felt

be the one great

the
eternal
reality

obstacle

conceals

from the

But whichever method may be considered

the
right

one,

mysticism,

considered
(i.e.,

as

purely natural
in
is

phenomenon
limited
to

as consisting

a peculiar exercise of the natural powers),

necessarily

the

interaction

of

human reason and emotion and

objects with

those natural

which reason and emotion are

concerned

and

in

which

suggestions

of
less
is

something supernatural may be more or

clearly perceived.

Mysticism so understood

merely a certain attitude of the mind towards

its

surroundings
it

and what
to

it

perceives

is

proved,
there.

is

thought,

be

thereby really
partial,

Its

outlook

may be

and
But

its

ideas consequently one-sided,

and the expresit

sion of
all

them may need

whether as
itself

correction.

is

true,

fact or as
literally

symbol
untrue,

which
yet

may,

though

be

12

MYSTICISM
true than the literal truth.

more
is,

"The

true

for us,

the good."^

All that can be dis-

cerned in the nature which half conceals and

half reveals the Deity, so far as
attractive
true,
it is

beautiful,

and ennobling,
in

is

in

some sense
of God.

and

some degree a
therefore,

vision

Such
be

visions,

as seen by different

minds and by whatever method, need only

to

compared,

correlated
all

and

mutually

adjusted, in order to form

that from this

point

of view can

be rightly called a body

of Mystical Theology.

The second view which may be

the subject as a whole
is

taken of

that of Dionysius,

and of the long succession of mystics who

have
the

consciously
principles
Its

or

unconsciously

adopted
Mystical
con-

laid

down
is

in

his

Theology.
viction
cability

basis

profound

of of

the
the

uniqueness

and

incommuni-

Divine

nature.

However
nature,
their

exalted

creatures
in

may
is

be

in

and
place

however perfect
and and
Divine
^

relation

to

function, there
their

a chasm between them

Creator which cannot be

cii.,

Inge, op.

Lect. VII.

TWO
closed

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

13

or

bridged

even

in

thought.

ever sharply any one form of

Howexistence may
this

be

distinguished

from

all

others,

dis-

tinction

cannot

even

approach

the

funda-

mental character of the distinction between

all

creatures

on

the

one

side

and

their

Creator

on the other.

There cannot even,

properly speaking,

be so near a rapprocheto

ment of the two as

possible
to

make a

real distinction
in

God

can be related,

His essence,
:

creatures

only by a fiction of the mind

they are to

His absolute independence and

self-sufficiency as nothing.

But on the other

hand,

God

is

not separated from Creation by

time or space

by which

His being

is,

indeed,

not affected in any way.

All creatures are in a state of immediate de-

pendence upon Him, and

this

it

is

only

in virtue

of

dependence that they

therefore,

exist.

In a certain

sense,

God

is
:

immediately present
they are the continual
;

among and
offspring of

in creatures

His power and wisdom

and where

these are at work, there

God

in

His uncreated

essence must also be.

in a true

Consequently,
in creation
;

God

is is

sense immanent

He

14

MYSTICISM
it,

not indeed mixed with

and

it

is

and must

be the one thing that

in

His uncreated being

all

He

cannot resemble
likeness
;

yet

creation has the

distant

to

Him

which mere being

imparts
dimly,
that

and

in all its parts reflects,

however

His wisdom and beauty.

is

Therefore
the
is

God

may be
"

clearly

known from

" visible things

in

of creation.

But what God

Himself, no
it

man

can know, unless

God Himsee

self reveals

to him.
is

To

see the reflection

:

of Divine beauty
is

one thing

to

God

another.

For

all

man's natural knowledge

comes from
tion
:

creatures,
is

and by way of sensais

and God

the one being that

not

a creature, and of
tell

whom

sensation can directly

us nothing.
so,

This being

the only direct, immediate or

experimental knowledge of
attain to

God

that

man

can

must be supernaturally bestowed upon

him.

Naturally,

man

is

enclosed within the

things, through

iron walls of sense

and sensible
light

which no sound or ray of

can penetrate

their solid metal vibrates, so to speak,

and the

warmth from without

enclose.

is

felt

in

the air they

But

all

is

silence

and darkness.

TWO
unless

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
is

15

the solid barrier

removed by some

power greater than man's.

mysticism
it

To

supernatural
is
;

seems that such power

from
the

time to time exerted for man's benefit

walls of his prison are parted, for a
at least,

moment
lies

and he sees something of what

outside.

And

if

any true vision of God has

ever been obtained by those

it

who have sought

the

through the exertion of their natural powers

negatively,

whether
ascetics,

as

Neoplatonist

or positively, as

the nature mystics

and symbolists

it

has come directly, not from powers, but from His

the exertion of those

spontaneous bounty alone.

^
mysticism
It

Such

is

the

theory

of

which

obtains in the Catholic Church.

does not

dispute the genuineness or the attractiveness

of the symbolical view of

life,

nor does

it

deny

the necessity of personal effort as a condition

(though not the cause) of the supernatural

vision
;

but
is

it

holds that merely natural confeeling,

templation

based on association and

and

is

incapable of leading the soul beyond

the confines of the material world.

Natural
of God's

symbolism

will

make known much

i6

MYSTICISM
;

action and of His nature

but

it

cannot bring
supernatural

man

face to face with

Him.

The

conception of mysticism, moreover, admits fully

the existence of a constant need and desire in

mankind
pale
;

for
is

God, even

far

beyond the Christian

where
sufficient

it

also ready to admit,

evidence can be shown, that this desire has

in

any given case received some degree of

in
is

satisfaction
satisfaction
is

the only
possible.

way

in

which such

God's condescension

not

to

be confined within any narrower

limits

than those
is

He

has Himself imposed

in

and there

nothing contrary to possibility

the Alexandrian opinion that such a mystical

knowledge of God had been attained by some

Neoplatonists as
reach.

many

Christians had failed to

is

The one
is

point insisted on

that such

knowledge
natural
;

and must be
is,

essentially super-

that

that

it

cannot be obtained by
thing, or

means of any created

of the
is

by any

effort

human powers,
all

since the thing

exe/ce'im

known

itself, in

Dionysius' words,
that

ttciutcov

beyond

man

can of himself see or know.

The

first

thing that strikes one about these

two general views of the subject would seem

TWO
to

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
quite

17

be

their

obvious

incompatibility./

More than one praiseworthy attempt has been made to treat them together, as two varieties But the only way in which of the same thing.
this

can possibly be done

is

by taking one

as the genuine theory of Mysticism,

and the

other as spurious.

Mysticism might conceivably be either natural

or supernatural
If
;

it

cannot possibly be both.

in

God

can be seen or known

and by

nature, then the supernatural contemplation of

Him
two

as essentially apart from

and above

all

creatures

can

only be a delusion.
are
directly

For the
to

methods
;

opposed

one

another

and two opposite processes cannot

If,

possibly have an identical result.

on the

other hand, the Dionysian method of abstraction

can,

by the aid of Divine Grace, enable

man
the

to transcend created nature

and

to

behold
the

absolute

uncreated
for

existence,

then

method which looks

in

an intuition of

God

nature

may

indeed have a high value as

poetry or romance, or as a
the

way

of appreciating
;

evidence

for

God's

existence

but

it

cannot, in that case, be mysticism.

However
B

"

i8

MYSTICISM
based

strongly

on

experience,
its

or

however
it

deeply emotional in
is

mental reactions,

in

the last
;

analysis

merely a process of
it

inference

and any appearance

may

give

rise to of intuitive

knowledge must be capable

of analysis into the

component parts of an

in-

ductive syllogism.
said, "is the only

"The

mystic,"

it

has been iX

thorough-going empiricist;"^
regard to his transcendental

and indeed,
intuitions

in

he

can be nothing

else.

In

the

vision

claimed by supernatural

mysticism
"

and there alone

are identical
in
;

the

" that "

and the

what

essence and existence are one

God, and experimental knowledge of His must

necessarily

existence

preclude

all

dis-

cursive reasoning as to His essence.

Hence

both the certitude of mystics as to the reality

of their knowledge,
to explain
it.

and

their total incapacity

is

Thorough empiricism

really

possible

only at the two ends of the scale

of

human
and

experience
in

in mystical

contemplaas
in

tion

sensation.

In
is

sensation,

mysticism,
attitude
^
;

empiricism
sensations
in

the

only possible

themselves,
vol.
i,

and
ch.
i.

as

Royce, The World and the Individual^

TWO
they

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

19

appear

grouped

in
;

consciousness,

are

complete
explained,

and

immediate
or

they

cannot

be
the

idealised

analysed.
the

But
subject

moment

sensations

become
is

of

thought, pure empiricism

no longer possible;
its

sense-experience must depend for

continuity
;

upon some kind of

the poetry and

ideal

constructions
life

and

romance of

and nature,
in

and even the "Ascensio mentis

Deum

per

scalam rerum creatarum," are no more than

modes of
its

the mind's perpetual wrestling with

It is
"

environment.
full

only

when "the wheel

finality

has come

circle

in the intuition of mysti-

cism that the unquestionable immediacy,

and certainty of sensation are brought back

the higher sphere of the intelligence.

in

Such, at

least,

is

the contention on behalf

;

of supernatural mysticism
alternative to
that
it

and the only

held

real
all

is

complete surrender of

mysticism

has

been

to

connote.

For a confused consciousness of the divine or

the supernatural, as symbolised or suggested

by
art,

certain fragmentary aspects of nature,

or

or social

existence,

is

at

bottom a per-

fectly different thing

from the direct vision of

20

MYSTICISM
"
I

and intercourse with a divine person.

talk

not with thy dreams," supernatural mysticism

replies

to

the imaginative outpourings of the

nature mystic, the philanthropist or the lover.^

Beautiful or pathetic or true as those

dreams

may
and

be, they

have no other origin than that

none of those things
is

of dreams which are

if

supernatural mysticism

only another

kind of dream
to the

if

its

origin

can be traced

same

turbid stream of mingled experi-

ence and thought

thing as true

well then, there

;

is

no such

mysticism

we must

revert to

the opinion of those to

^

whom

mysticism was
methods
to

St John of the Cross brings the two

into sharp

"While created things furnish of the Beloved, and exhibit the impress
contrast.

the soul traces

of His beauty

and

magnificence, the love of the soul increases, and consequently

the pain of His absence
for the greater the soul's knowledge of God, the greater is the desire to see Him, and its pain when it cannot and while there is no remedy for this pain except in
; ;

the presence of the Beloved, the soul, distrustful of every other remedy, prays for the fruition of His presence." It says,
in effect
:

" Entertain

me no more with any knowledge of Thee or

or impressions of

with

Thy communications

Thy

grandeur, for
;

these do but increase

for

my

longing and the pain of

presence alone can satisfy my will will cannot be satisfied with anything less than the vision of God, and therefore the soul prays that He may be pleased to

Thy

Thy absence and desire.'' The

give Himself to

spiritual Canticle^ Explanation of Stanza VI.

it

perfectly in truth, in the consolation of love."

TWO
only a
sion,

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

21

name

for

an ignoble kind of

self-delu-

and relegate both name and thing

-

to

the secular lumber

room which has

mental

already-

received
astrology,
ticism

such

outworn

furniture

as

alchemy and necromancy.

doubtless

Roman-

will

always hold a certain

;

place

human thought and feeling for whatever new aspects nature and life may
in in

have

store,

there can

hardly

fail

at

any

time to

be

numbers
is

of

men and women

readily

whose

sensibility

more

awakened
by
as

by the contact of
interior reflection.

their surroundings than

But mysticism
supernatural
or

is,

we

have seen,
[X)ur

either

nothing.

enquiry must therefore be directed to

the conditions claims

for

which supernatural mysticism

with
the
its

itself,

view

of

deter-

mining whether or not

sufficient

pretensions have a

basis

in

observable facts to entitle

experiences

to credence those transcendental

for

which we can have no evidence beyond

the bare
shall

word of the mystic

himself.

We

have therefore to consider whether and

far

how
cal

the Dionysian principles are identi-

with

those which are discernible

in

the

92

MYSTICISM
;

ordinary course of nature

states,

whether mystical

as

described by those

who have
with
the of

ex-

perienced
nature
faculties

them,

are

compatible
action

the

and
;

normal

and whether those

to
rest

states

human if we
to

find

them
in

on a

solid

theory,

and

be

harmony with the

verified

results

of

psychological investigation

may

or

may

not

be adequately accounted for by merely natural

agency.

As
be

to these three questions,

in

which
on,

will
it

be
will

discussed

some
to

detail

further
first,

sufficient

note here
reflection

that ordinary

cognition
starting
-

and
point

require

as

their

some
such
in

contact
contact,

with

external

matter matter
for

(what

externality

and

may be
the

themselves we need not,

our present purpose, enquire) by means

of which

mind may form

ideas,

to

be

subsequently dealt with by

way

of reflection.

Consequently,
not
i

ideas
this

or

thoughts

which are
to

related

in

manner and degree

are
:

external ceivable

material
in

things

simply

inconif
it

the

natural order

and

is

granted that the mind

may by any means

so


TWO
abstract
it
it,

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

23

itself

from the external world that

has no image of any external thing before

either
directly

as

"phantasm," or

in-

directly as

an abstract idea formed on a basis

of sense-experience, then, naturally speaking,

it

has nothing before

this
is

it

but an absolute blank.

But
the
to

precisely the condition in which

mind

is

conceived by supernatural mystics

time

be during the

generally
So
far

very

brief one

of

contemplation.

as the
it

natural world

and

all

images derived from

is

are concerned, there

nothing but a blank.

But the void

is

filled

by the divine presence,

and by supernatural agency.

We

are

not,

however, led to suppose by anything mystical

writers
tell

us that the state of mere negative

abstraction
well
^

ever actually
it is

exists.^

One may
it

doubt whether
Schopenhauer.
it

possible that
is

should

Cf.

" If something

none of all the things

is

we know,
But
it

is

certainly for us, speaking generally, nothing.

it

does not follow from this that

absolutely nothing,
in

that from every possible point of view

and

every possible

must be nothing, but only that we are limited to a completely negative knowledge of it, which may very well lie
sense
it

in the limitations of our point of view. Now it is just here that mysticism proceeds positively, and therefore it is just from this

point that nothing but mysticism remains."

World

as Will

and

Idea,

iv.

48,

14

MYSTICISM

and certainly the mystic does not suppose

himself to create a mental blank, which, after

being so created,
the contrary,
mystical state

is

supernaturally

filled.

On

the fundamental notion of the

is

"Rapture"
but
is

the

mind does
of
its

not extricate

itself,

taken out

normal relations with the external world by

that very presence and influence which supplies
their place.
is,

The

mystical knowledge of
all

God

in

regard to

natural

knowledge and
under which

light,

merely "Ignorance" and "Darkness";

this
is

and

the only condition

such knowledge could conceivably be imparted.

The

soul, as

it

were, looks over the extreme

edge of the phenomenal world, and has no

use whatever for anything belonging to that

world

if

it

had any,

it

could not

really

be

at the edge,

but would be the subject of a

delusion.

Mystical knowledge, therefore, in

no way contradicts the principles which appear

necessarily to govern the ordinary cognition

of

human

beings

it

does
it

not

even imply

emancipation from them,

merely transfers

them

to another sphere. to the nature

But a word must be said as

TWO
of
this

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
It
is,

as

Sphere.
called

of

course,
:

what

is

commonly

the
is

supernatural

and the

supernatural sphere

conceived unquestion-

ably by the mystic as distinct from and ex-

cluding the natural.

The
is

supernatural begins
If

where the natural ends.

then
of

this

is

denied,

course there

an end

of

super-

natural mysticism as a genuine thing

and,

by consequence, as we have seen, of anything whatever that can be clearly connoted

by the term.
wise

Mr

Inge, indeed, in his other-

admirable Bampton Lectures,

this

strongly
it

opposes

theory
see.

on what grounds

is

not easy to

He, with other

modern

upholders of mysticism, in the sense in which

it

is

understood by them, regards the pheno-

menal world interpreted by reason as a true

manifestation of the divine ideas and nature
it

is

the imperfection of

human

reason, caused
in

by

sin

and ignorance, that prevents men

general from "seeing the world as

it"

God

sees

God and as
its

as, in fact,

it

really exists in the

mind of
by

being spiritual
creation

in its nature,

reason of

by His thought and

will.

We

may

pass over the latent Spinozism of

26

MYSTICISM

these and similar phrases, which, taken Hterally,

would seem to identify

spirit

and matter, the

point where of
true

created universe and God.

this

The

theory
is

manifestly
that
it

falls

short

mysticism

takes something created,

its

no matter what,
natural

for

final

object.

Super-

mysticism, as

we have

said already,

has no objection to offer to the notion that

something of the nature and

be discerned
is

will of

God
that

can

in

all

created things, that

in

He
this

truly

reflected

them,

and

reflection

can be distinguished with increasing

as

clearness

we draw near
All this of
is

to

the

perfect

human
point

state.^

as

true

from the

of

view
its

supernatural

myticism as

from that of

rival.

But

" realisation in thought

and feeling

" is

not experimental knowledge of

God
of

thought

and feeling

may
in

perceive

quod

est

that
divine
est

He
what

exists,
;

the

plenitude

the

attributes

but
is

they

cannot see quid

of

He
:

in

His own absolute being.

is

At

most, natural
creation
^

mysticism

true

vision

what supernatural mysticism claims

Summa,
i.

Cf.

2.

i.

i.

and

3. c.

also

i.

12. 6. c.

TWO
to

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
,

27

be

is

the vision of the Creator.

The two
error lies

views, so far from being mutually exclusive,

are

mutually complementary

the

in denial

of the possibility of the supernatural

knowledge,

not in assertion
there
is

of the

natural.

Moreover,
principle

really

no difference of
;

or
is

method
in

between the two

the

difference

the

object at which each, in

point of

fact,

aims.
in

For there

is,

after

all,

only one

way

which the being of

;

God
road

can be inferred from visible things

is

and that

the

Via Remotionis

the

negative

which "nature mystics" depreciate as at most

insufficient for
its

assumed purpose.

What-

ever

is

known by

the senses can, indeed, or

perhaps even must suggest a train of reasoning, conscious or subconscious,

which ends

in

the concept of a spiritual and personal reality

underlying the manifestations of nature.

this

But

can only be attained by abstracting from

;

the impressions which furnish the suggestion

the

concept
it

itself

is

formed by the reason,

though

is

more or
But

less confused,

and reaches

up

to a sphere

which neither reason nor sense

it

can enter.

is

not intuitive or empirical

28
it

MYSTICISM
is

an idea evolved or constructed

by

rational process

which

in
:

no way
it

differs

from

other rational processes

nation from without.

is

not an illumiit

In other words,

is

no more mystical than our thoughts about any

matter of ordinary business or domestic economy,

from which

it

differs

only in
the

its

subject-matter.

Take,

for

example,

elevated emotions

produced by the contemplation of the magnificent

panorama of

sunset.

What we

see

is

a shifting arrangement of colours

purple and green.
is

blue, red,
it

What we

extract from

a particular sense of beauty, and thence, by

all

association of ideas, a confused concept of

the beautiful things in the world.

From

this

it

is

easy and natural to pass to

thoughts of the mysteriously elusive principle

of beauty, of the source of that principle and of the creation in which
lastly,
it

is

embodied, and,

of the nature of that source, and of the

absolute moral and spiritual beauty to which

its

works

testify.

But

this train of

thought

is

in reality

a train of negations.
is

We

practically

consider that beauty

colour

not essentially of any

it

is

a principle not embodied in any

TWO
one form

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

29

it

cannot be self-caused, but must

itself.
is

have
indeed

a
is

source outside

This source

God

but

He

not beautiful in the

is

same way as the sunset

red or green, nor
is

He

not blue or

His beauty dependent on But

any material constitution.

He
to

is

that

incomprehensible reality which gives beauty

to the colours of the sunset,

and

all

the

good and

beautiful things, of
:

whatever kind,

in the universe

He

is

not any one of those

together, but

things, nor yet all of

them

He
all

contains in Himself the principle of

them

they are

all,

as scholastics

say, eminenter in

Him.

When we
of,

have reached

this point

we have
tell

got rid of everything that our senses

us

and have erected

for

our contemplation a

purely abstract
lights of sunset

conception,
still

upon which

the

seem

to play,

and which

therefore retains something of their

charm so
itself
is

long as the impression

stripped

lasts,

but in
in

of every

image that

this

world
pious

we know

as beautiful.^

The solemn and

brilliant
ch.
iii.

or romantic feelings which a

^

sunset

Cf. Illingworth,

Divine Immanence,

30
calls

MYSTICISM
into

being are based on an inference

of a nature in no respect differing from that of Paley's inference of a watchmaker from a

watch.
ideas
ences.

Natural mysticism

is

concerned with
actual

and
Its

theories,

not with
is

experi-

method

identical with

the

Via

Renwtionis of speculative theology, of which

the mystical or practical parallel
is

the with-

drawal of the intelligence, under divine guidance, from the contemplation of any sensible

image whatever, and

an abstract
Secondly,
idea, but
it

its

illumination,

not by

by an actual presence.

should be observed that the

this illumination takes place is
itself,

mode
it

in

which

not to be considered abnormal in

though

obviously depends on abnormal conditions.

The mental
ordinary way.

faculties act, or

may

act, in

the

The

difference

between the
lies,

mystical and the merely natural states

as

we have
of action.

seen, in the object

of the faculties,
in

not, so far as

can be judged,

their

mode

The

reason and intelligence under

ordinary circumstances work upon a basis of

sensation
ultimately
;

the reactions of the

mind depend

upon the

cumulative reactions of

TWO
the body
;

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
in other

31

or,

words, the mind can

only act upon material furnished originally by

the senses.

In
is,

mystical

states this material

groundwork
fact
lies

of course, absent,

and

in that

their

supernatural
is

character.

The

place of the material

supplied by the presence

and action of supernatural divine agency, but

the mental

and bodily reactions

up by sensation.

certainly

need

not differ essentially in character from those

ordinarily set
It

would be

perfectly true to

say that the mind, or soul,

;

can only act in one way

and

that consequently
it

any theory which requires that

in

should act
absolutely

a different

way

is

thereby

made

incredible.

For such a theory would imply a

which
It
is

self-contradiction,

the one absolutely

like

incredible thing.

would be

saying that
If the

one sees a sound, or hears an odour.

soul

were

to act as a

mere passive

receptacle,
it

and yet be conscious of that which

it

received,

would be an unmeaning contradiction of

such as could
not possibly exist or be
is

itself,

conceived.

Consciousness

active

the

mind

can no more be a mere unresponsive receptacle

than the body can experience sensation with-

32

MYSTICISM
itself alive

out being

and

active.

The

fact of

consciousness necessarily implies the normal

y'

mental activity of the subject, with

physical

all
it.
.

the

concomitants necessary to

But

the

connection

between

consciousness

and

sensation

the

mode

in
is

which one
still

is

trans-

ferred to the other

very obscure and

:

the subject of
rate, there

many

divergent theories

at

any

appears to be nothing impossible,

or even irregular, in the idea that conscious-

ness and intelligence

may

follow their normal

course on a basis of supersensible ideas, pre-

sented to them, not by means of sense, but by

supernatural and divine interposition.
If

we can be

conscious of the presence of

spiritual

being by means of an inference from

the sensations excited by his bodily presence,

as

we

are conscious

in

our friend's presence

of a spiritual personality inferred from sensible

evidences, then
that

it

is

at least quite conceivable

God may cause Himself to be apprehended

by stimulating
in

as immediately present merely

the consciousness in the

is

same way

which

it

ordinarily stimulated

by the idea

(the species

inielligibilis)

abstracted from sense-impressions,

TWO
which

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

33

in this case

may be given ready made

no a priori impossi-

instead of being constructed by the intellect.^

There

is

equally, of course,

bility in

such communications being

it is

made by
difficult to

agencies other than divine, and

see of

why any one who

created
spiritual

believes in the existence

personalities

other than

human should regard them

influence

as being incapable

under any circumstances of exercising direct

upon mankind.

All stories of angelic

visitations, or of diabolical possession,

may

not

be true

and writers such as Gorres, Schram

But there
it

and Ribet may be over-systematic and overminute

in

dealing with this subject.

can be no a priori reason for dismissing

as

merely superstitious.

Of

the visions

and
have
is

locutions,

"imaginary"
been

or " intellectual,"

by means of which mystical

not
infrequently
to
p.

communications
conveyed,
^

there

no need
et

speak here.
-^i
'

Cf.

Bergson,

Mature
perqu

Memoire,
le

"Que

la

mati^re puisse etre

inconcevable."

concours d'un systeme nerveux, sans organes de sens, cela n'est pas theoriquement
If this abstract direct perceptibility of
it

sans

matter

by the soul be conceded,

would seem to follow a fortiori that the soul may perceive that which is immaterial, like the soul itself, without any intermediate sensation.

34

MYSTICISM
are

They
ence,

not

essential

to

mystical

experi-

"and are held by mystical

authorities

to be of quite secondary importance at best.

It
is

plain that

the

mode

of communication
is

we have been

considering

quite capable of

strongly affecting the imagination, and

may do

so either by creating fresh imaginary figures,

or by recalling past impressions derived from

such things as pictures and statues.

Some
others
latter

of the visions of St Teresa, Julian of Norwich,

Anne Catherine Emmerich and many

are
kind.

frankly

admitted

to

be

of

the

Thirdly,

the

phenomena
be

of mystical

con-

templation cannot

considered capable of

explanation by any theory which excludes the

supernatural.

Two
The
of

such theories have been

infused

suggested.
natural

apparently

super-

object
to

contemplation

has

been

thought

be merely an

image drawn by
the supposed divine
fact,

the normal process of the understanding from past conscious experience

illumination
is
;

held to be, in

the result
certain

of

self-delusion.

Again,

there

are

resemblances

between

mystical

states

and

TWO

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

35

those induced by diseased conditions or drugs,

which have suggested the theory that mystical

states

are

really

pathological,

and are only

of such
naturally be

abnormal

in that sense.

But

in spite

obvious resemblances as might

expected to occur

in

all

abnormal conditions

of individual organisms of the

there are

same

species,

marked

differences which absolutely

9
'

preclude the possibility of explaining mystical

conditions in any of these ways.
First,

there

is

in

these states (apart from

the occurrence of visions) no figure or image

whatever,
natural

such as necessarily occurs in any

process of reasoning or imagination.

mystical
in

Recorded
they are

experiences,

various
to

as

type,

uniformly

fail

connect
or

themselves

with

any preceding

thought

experience of a natural kind.

The

assertion,

frequently made, that they must

be so con;

nected

is

nothing but an arbitrary assumption

is

the evidence
visions

all

the other way.

Then

the

or

hallucinations

proceeding

from a

drugged or otherwise pathological condition

are characterised, as
it

seems, invariably, by

monstrous or grotesque visual appearances, or

36

MYSTICISM

by strange physical sensations which, though

in

some persons they have apparently

exer-

cised

some power
distinctly
:

of

spiritual

suggestion,

belong

to

the

order
origin
is,

of
is

natural

dreams
though

their
its

physical

manifest,

precise

locality

naturally,

not

always ascertainable.^

Moreover, mystics have

for sanity

always been remarkable

and

placidity

even when invalids

the neurotic

temperament
even

which belongs to pathological states of consciousness

is

conspicuously rare,

if

not

entirely absent

among them.

Such a tempera-

ment can hardly be thought compatible with the "straightforwardness, simplicity and dauntless

courage

"

of St Teresa, or the " tremendous

moral

force " of

St John of the Cross,^ or with

the energetic activity and the tender

human
More-

sympathy of St Catherine of Siena.

over,
it

is

worth noticing

in

this

connection

that for the practical purposes of canonisation

and
by
^

beatification
is

clearly

recognisable

dis-

tinction

and has always been perceived

authority

ecclesiastical

depending

more

See the instances given by James, Varieties of Religious

Experience {Mysticism). ^ Inge, " Christian Mysticism," Lect. VI.

TWO
on

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

37

common

sense than on any psychological

theory

between

experiences which

may be

classed as pathological,

and those which must

seems hardly too

be considered supernatural.^

On
much
tions

the whole, therefore,

to say that

it

none of the proposed explana-

would have any weight whatever, apart

from the reluctance to admit the existence and

possibility

of supernatural

experience which,

by a

natural
in

swing of the pendulum,

has

superseded
readiness

our day the former too great

to

seek

supernatural

cause for

any uncommon event.

may be said, what does all this matter ? The subject can be of direct interest only to those who have, or believe themselves
But,
it

to have, mystical experience of the supernatural

kind
if

and they are very few

still

in

number even
Moreover,

any of them are

extant.
is

mysticism, in that
Christian religion
;

sense,
it

not part of the

is

quite possible to be

not merely a good Christian, but even a saint,

without so
the
matter.

much
^

as knowing anything about not leave De

it

Why

to those,

if

See Benedict XIV.

Canonis.

38

MYSTICISM
are,

any there

who

are the subjects of these

abnormal experiences, and whose conviction

as to the nature of
able,

them

is

already unshake-

and

to those

experts

who from time

to

time

may have
?

to

form a judgment about

them

For the ordinary run of people there

in

can be no use
in

considering a subject which

their faith or their

no way concerns either

duty.

Now

it is

quite true that comparatively

few are called to supernatural contemplation

it

is

equally true that neither the faith nor the

practical duty of Christians in general can in

any way depend on "private revelations" or

on mystical knowledge of any kind. Nevertheless, the subject has a distinct interest

and
to

importance of

its

own

for all

who

desire

form a
the true

clear

and

correct

judgment

as

to
in

attitude
to

of the Catholic
life

Church
or

regard

human

in

general,

who

wish to appreciate

fully

the whole range of

the evidence to be adduced in favour of her

claims.
is

For on the one hand, since mysticism

a constant feature
all

prominent at
cannot
rightly

though not times of Christian

neglected

equally
life,
it

be

by

any

who

TWO
of that
Hfe

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

39

wish to form a just estimate of the character

as

a whole

and on the other

hand, mysticism has a distinct evidential value

whether considered

in itself or in its relation

to other factors of the Catholic system,

is

which

by no means confined

to those
it.

who have
will

experimental knowledge of
establish these
I.

try to

two

points.

Christianity,
in

as

fully

represented

and

embodied

the Catholic Church, appeals to

human

nature as a whole, not to any part or

it.

aspect of
deals with

That

is

to

say,
its

the

Church

human
all

nature in

completeness,
or
racial

apart from

individual,
It
is

national

characteristics.

therefore necessary that

every factor

in

that nature should find itself

it,

recognised, and a place provided for

with

appropriate guidance and discipline,

relation to

in

due

and harmony with

all

else that goes

make

up
with

humanity,
In
all

in

the

system

of

the

Church.

this

sense the Church has

affinities

forms of religion and philo-

sophy

for

in

each of them some modicum

is

at least of truth

to

be found, which,

if

the

Church

is

truly

what she represents herself

40 to be, will be

MYSTICISM
acknowledged and co-ordinated
in

with other

truths

the

complete body of
in
all
its

her doctrine.
forms,
is

Error,

even
that
is

extremest

not

"a
its

lie

a lie"

it

is

truth torn from

natural place in the

in

scheme

of things, and so seen

truth
is

false
in its

perspective

only true

when seen
exist

due relation

to the whole.

Men

are misled, not by that

which does not

believe
to

thing

we may
by
its

well

be
is

impossible

but
fact
is

following

that which

true without regard to

com-

plementary truths.
evident as in
like liberty,

This

nowhere so
which,

the case of mysticism,

has given the shelter of

its

name
of

to

almost

every

conceivable

aberration

moral conduct.

The

desire for God, pursued

often by the most extravagant

methods and
is

disguised under the most unlikely pretexts,

the
real

motive-power of

all
its

human
purely

activity

whatsoever.
side,
is

Mysticism, on

human
for the

one road by which men seek

rest

heart's

which

all,

even

in spite

of them-

selves, desire.

Whether within
will

or without the

Church men
they must
;

strive

to see

God, because

the methods they adopt

may be

TWO

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

41
cir-

determined by varying temperaments or

cumstances, but
" inner

among them has always been

way
"

and must always be the

the
the

way
of
life

of

abstraction

and

contemplation,

effort to

pass beyond the many-coloured

dome
reality

into the
it.

"white radiance" of true

beyond

Now
this

if

the

Church had nothing

she would surely
that

to say to

deeply rooted
desire,

and constantly manifest

fall

human
of the

far short

place

she claims,
first.

and has held

more,
if,

successfully from the

Still

like

some,

she had

condemned, as

merely pre-

sumptuous and delusive, the

to realise in
life

efforts of

mankind

some

faint

degree now the very

which she promises hereafter, she would

to

have come perilously near

authority and
said in effect to mankind,

denying her own

commission.

She would have

You
in

are

made

for

God

you are
no

to look

forward to the super-

natural enjoyment

of

Him

Eternity,

and
can

there

is

limit to the favours

which

He

and may bestow on you here and now.

one thing you may not have, one thing
shall not

But

He

do

for

you

and

that the one which

42

MYSTICISM
desire

you most
briefest

you

shall

not have the

or

slightest
is

foretaste

here

of
;

the

blessedness that

to be yours hereafter

God
all

Himself, though
sorts but
this,

He may

do miracles of

shall

not pierce the crust of

material things which hides

Him

from you, or

show you
that
lies

the faintest

beyond
en ce

it

"defense
fully

spark of the radiance

a

Dieu de
Mystical

faire miracles

lieu."

But the Church has

recognised by

never done anything of the kind.

knowledge has always been

her as possible, and as existing

the

whether

in

Hebrew

prophets, the Apostles of Christ,

or the contemplatives of successive ages since

their day.

Even

for

mystics, as such, with;

out her pale she has had no condemnation

she has

condemned

their

misbelief,
;

but has

kept silence about

their mysticism

and

in

her theology and philosophy the

phenomena

of

mysticism have been dealt with and explained

in

accordance with the methods which were

all

applied to
ence.

other phases of

human

experilike

Not

only

professed

mystic

Dionysius,

but a Clement,

an Augustine, a

Thomas

Aquinas, has each had his word to

TWO

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
brilliant,

43

say and his ray, more or less

to contribute to the

of light

sum

total of the

Church's

wisdom, ever growing with the increasing experience of the

of

human

race.

The

aspirations

man towards immediate knowledge

of

God

and union with

Him

are therefore recognised

and adopted by the Church as a true part of

that

multifarious

human energy which

to
find
full

it

is

her function to direct, regulate and enlighten.

Such aspirations are

hereafter
for

satisfaction
to

those

who
;

are

willing

be

guided

in their exercise in

they are partially to

be satisfied here,

certain degree
is

by the

"natural" contemplation which

right of
all

the

common
measure,

Christians,

and

in a fuller

and

after a higher

and more perfect manner,

is

in the

supernatural contemplation which

of

the

privilege
truth

comparatively few.
underlies
in

Thus
ways

the

that

different

and

degrees

the

mystical

theories

and

ascetic

practices of Neoplatonist, Gnostic or Buddhist,

Parsee or

Mohammedan,
its

is

cleared from

its

surroundings of mythological or theosophical

imagination and set in
of truths which are

place in the

harmony

made known by

nature and

44

MYSTICISM
revelation,

by

and preserved

in the

dogmatic

structure of the Church's faith.

What
mysticism

scholastic
is

philosophy has
clear

done

for

to

make
less

the

distinction
parts.

between

its

natural

and supernatural
than

St Augustine,

no

Dionysius,

did

indeed

call

attention to the necessarily super-

natural character of any direct contemplation

of the divine

nature,

but

it

was St Thomas
intellectual

whose analysis of the nature of the

faculties
this
in

man made
so.

clear the reason

why
is

must be

Man's way of knowledge

inextricably involved with his bodily organism,

since

body and

soul

are

not

two substances

but one.

Consequently, immediate knowledge

is

of that which

purely spiritual or immaterial

cannot come to him by any exercise of his

natural powers,

but only by a "rapture" or

is

"ecstasy"
his

in

which he

made

to transcend

own

present nature, and for a

enjoy the beatitude habitual to

moment to those who have

way
in

attained the goal of their desires in the eternal

vision of God.

No

instance of the

which the magisterium of the Church has dealt

with the impulses and feelings of humanity
is


TWO
clearer

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
illuminating

45
this
:

or

more

than

or

more

plainly illustrates the co-ordination

and

mutual support of the truths of nature and

grace in
that
is

comprehensive view of man's

possible only to an organisa-

nature which

tion which, as being both fully

human and

at

the

same time

truly divine,

is

able to maintain

a perfect balance between the natural and the

supernatural.
It is

therefore plain that mystical theology

is

not the least precious of the Church's treasures.

It

resembles the way of

relation
it

life

technically called
life

relio^ious in its

to

the oreneral

of

the
esse,
it

faithful

belongs

not

indeed to the

but

to

the

bene esse
its

of the

Church
its

is

necessary not to

existence, but to

integrity.
life,

The mere
various

existence of the religious

forms,
is

in

its

undoubtedly a

source

of joy and

consolation

and a moral

support to countless
far

persons
"

who

are

very
In of

from having a

"

vocation

themselves.
life

the

same way, the recognition of the

is

mystical contemplation

an encouragement
(like the

and happiness
writer)

to

many who
of
it

present

know nothing

by personal experi-

46

MYSTICISM
:

ence

and

it

can

hardly be doubted that

its

vakie in this

respect would

be more widely
its

and

deeply

appreciated
it

if
is.

nature

were

better understood than

circle

It

completes the

of the

Church's adaptation to

human

needs, and brings

divinely

together in the unity of a

human
and

institution every

temperament,

as well as every class,

occupation and moral

character

is

in this aspect

an important

factor in that kind of moral evidence of the

justice of the Church's claims

which

is

supplied

by the practical services she has rendered, and

is

daily rendering, to
2.

humanity

in general.

The
this

direct

evidential

value, as

distinct

from

indirect

testimony of the Church's

its

mystical theology, arises from

character,

experimental
theoretical

as

contrasted with
" speculative "

the

nature

of

theology.
of the
all

The
it

symmetry and completeness

Catholic doctrine
is is

body of
hands
;

admitted on
to
real

even said by some

be too complete and

bearing on a state

perfect to

have any

of things so fragmentary and unsystematic as

that of the world in which

we have
?

to live.

The

question

is,

Is

it

really true

And

to

TWO
this

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM
is
it

47

question the answer

often given that

nobody knows,
indeed,

because

cannot

be

sub-

mitted to any practical

is,

test.

The

complaint
its

an unjust one,

even on

own

grounds.

For the consistency of Catholic

something),

doctrine not merely with itself (though even

that
is

but
in

with

other

depart-

ments of knowledge,
truth

which fresh forms of

really

are

continually

emerging,

con-

stitutes a practical test of the

most stringent
constantly

kind,

and one
But

which
-

has

been

repeated under ever

the
first.

varying conditions from

a test of the kind
it

this is not
;

which leaps

to the eyes

does not impress

by any external

signs, or arrest the attention

It

of the careless and uninterested.

needs to

be pondered and considered in the light of a

degree of knowledge which

possessed before
appreciated.
is

is

not universally

its

full

significance

can be

But the experience of the mystic

a different

of quite

character
less

though
in

its

testimony

is

perhaps

weighty

reality

than that of the failure of twenty centuries of

discovery to shake the credibility of revelation,
it

is

more

easily recognised

and appeals

to a

48
different

MYSTICISM
and
less purely rational order of inare, in fact, to the religion

telligence.

Mystics

of the multitude very

much what
mystics are

the pioneers

of natural science are to the popular interest in

that
subject.

The

the

experiall

mentalists

of
or

religion.

We

cannot
;

be

Newtons
tion

Faradays or Huxleys
life
is

but our

outlook on

wider,

and our appreciais

of the wonders of nature

deeper for

researches,

of the nature and truth of which

our knowledge
imperfect.

So,

may be somewhat vague and though few indeed may have

great
mystics,
for all
is

the

gift

or the merits of the

what they have seen

of the
reality

an assurance

of the invisible

universe,

and

of the truth of those experiences by which

all,

whether mystics or
to share

not,

are enabled in

some degree
ledge and

with

them the knowthings.

the

enjoyment of divine
it

For
the

this

purpose

is

necessary indeed that

mystics
of their
least,

accounts given by

ex-

periences should

be as credible, at
experts give
this
is

as

those which
researches.

scientific

of their
the case

But that
will

really

no one who

give unprejudiced considera-

TWO

IDEAS OF MYSTICISM

49
It is

tion to the question can seriously doubt.

most unfortunate that the only two English

authors

who have

dealt specifically with this

aspect of the subject should have written under

the influence of a parti pris which, notwith-

standing the erudition and acumen displayed

by them, has deprived their judgment of

value.

all

CHAPTER

II

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
Mysticism has often been described, but seldom
defined
;

and the

definitions

have not always

been
clear

satisfactory.

Yet

in

order to have any

is

understanding of what
in so

meant by a
it

word used

many

different senses,

is

very necessary to begin with a definition of

the precise idea which
it

originally connoted,

and which underlies and forms the connecting

link

among

its

various applications.

Etymo-

logically,

mystics are
into the
religion

those

who have been

/me/t^v/jfjievoi,

initiated

mysteries or esoteric rites

;

of

Greek

the

juvcrrm,

or

fully instructed

persons
the

who were
of

privileged
periodically

to

take part in
in in

ceremonies
a
god,

performed
ticipation

honour

from parpublic

which the

general

was

excluded.

Any

one or anything belonging

50

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
to

51

the celebration of these sacred rites

was

"Mystic"
lacchi
"

even
Virgil
;

to

the

"

Mystica

vannus'

of

and the

two prominent

ideas connected

with the word were conse-

quently

first,

special

knowledge obtained by

instruction
tion or
to
it

(/Auew),

and secondly, an obliga-

other necessity of secrecy in regard

/
^

(y.v(a)}

The

mystics are,

in

fact,
;

the

inner circle of the devotees of any cult

are

they

possessed of knowledge
the

which partakes
rather
is

of

nature

of

revelation

than of

acquired science,
consideration of

and which

imparted in

some
is

special aptitude, natural

or acquired, such as

not found in the general

further implied that the

run of mankind.

It is

knowledge
as

is

of a transcendental kind, such

to

may be supposed

be necessary for the

;

devout worship of a divine being

ever,

this,

how-

though obviously part of the original

is

meaning of the term,

in
its

not always signified

later uses.
is

But the one idea common

to all uses

that of special

knowledge con-

fined to a corps d'dite of persons with a peculiar

*

"Mysticum
I.

interpretatur

absconditum,"

Gerson,

Myst.

Theol^

5
'

MYSTICISM
its

aptitude for
Christian

acquisition.

Thus
itself to

the early

Church conceived
general
of a

hold the
to

position of a

body of mystics with regard

:

mankind

in

its

members were the

(Arcanum)
not,

depositaries

revelation

at least in all points, accessible to the outside

world
ating
to

they were initiated by the " illuminrite

"

of baptism, and thereby admitted

participation in

the

other

sacraments,
religion.

or

mysteries,

of the
iv.

Christian
12)

Thus
the

St

Paul (Phil.
;

speaks of himself as

fjLefjLv/jfxevog

and

in

the

Greek

liturgies

priest

is

directed to say the "secret" prayers

in

fxva-riKocig

silence.

Hence,

in

later

times,

any

art

or

handicraft

which
to

traditional

methods came
Its secrets

made use be known as

of

"Mystery."

were imparted

to the

novice at or after his initiation into the guild

or

company by which

it

was carried

on,

and
:

under which he had served an apprenticeship

such "arts and mysteries" are
still

professed,

though not always practised, by the

guilds

which have survived

to the present day.

But

in

the Church there has always been within a circle

;

a circle

within

the body of

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
the initiated a body of those

53

gone a further

initiation

who have underamong the instructed

fuller

some favoured ones who have received

instruction.^

And whereas
to

ihitiation

into the

Christian

community has been entrusted by

the

divine

authority

Church

itself,
is

the

further illumination of the selected

directly

received

from God.
transference

Hence has
the

arisen

by a

natural

popular application

of the term to any view or conception of the

transcendental
" vague,

or

the

unseen,
"
;

to

anything

vast

and sentimental

and hence

again the note of condemnation or contempt

which was attached

of mysticism,
as
it

in

England
to
its

to

the idea
rela-

was

distant

tion "enthusiasm," during the century

ended

some

fifty

years ago

"mystic" during that

period being considered

much

the

same thing

as a visionary or a sentimentalist.

The word
temporary

has since then recovered from

^

its

Harnack, Mission and Expansion of Christianity^ vol. i. Christianity gained special weight from the fact that, in the first place, it had mysterious secrets of its own, which it sought to fathom only to adore them once again in silence and secondly, that it preached to the perfect in another and a deeper
Cf.
p.

237.

sense than

it

did to simple folk.

54

MYSTICISM
;

degradation

and though
it

it

is still

used some-

what

loosely,

no longer carries any burden

of offensiveness.
it

The

laxity of use

from which

still

suffers

consists in the emphasising of

one part of
exclusion

its full

connotation to the practical

other
:

of

the

any knowledge or
is

-^experience, real or imaginary, which

beyond
is

the scope of ordinary sense-experience, V to

is

apt

be called mystical.

But such knowledge

not mystical in the proper or strict sense,

it

unless

is

held also to be imparted, and not

acquired by the independent exercise of the

natural powers.
It

would, of course, be absurd

to contend that the conventional

meaning of

a word, in

many

cases an enrichment rather

than a perversion, has not at least as good

a claim to acceptance as

its

etymological one.

But where, as
uses
of the

in

this

case, the

conventional

word have obscured the nature

it

of the thing for which

is

originally stood,

it

necessary to determine the sense in which

is

the word
the thing.

to

be used

in

the discussion of

The name was first applied in the sense in which we have now defined it by Dionysius

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM

55

whoever the author known under that name

The thing, however, was undoubtedly known and recognised in the The apostles Church from the beginning.
may have
been.

were certainly mystics

in

the

fullest

sense

and the mystical tendencies of sub-apostolic

times are evidenced and fairly represented by
the

"Shepherd"
authentic

of Hermas, and the writings of

and

acts

many
title

of

the

early

martyrs.
deocpopog,

The
the

self-chosen

of St Ignatius,

God-bearer,

implies

a claim to

the possession of mystical experience of the

most
at

far-reaching

kind.

But

mysticism

or
to

least

the temperament which seeks

know-

ledge

by means of illumination rather than

reasoning

discursive

belongs
is

essentially

human
Thus,

nature,

and appears, under one form

free.

or another, wherever thought

to leave the

Eastern theosophy out of

account, a mystical element appears, in greater

or less degree, in
all

Greek philosophy,

if

the

mere negations of Pyrrhonism may be excepted. Before Socrates, Greek philosophers were
seers rather than

reasoners

the apophtheg-

matic character of their utterances affects to

56

MYSTICISM

be the result rather of intuition than of reasoning

:

and the

dialectic of Plato,

and even the

contemconceived

logical precision

of Aristotle, led in the end,

least,

theoretically

at

to

that

pure

plation

in

which

alone

Aristotle

that beatitude consists.

In the later Platonic

schools
replace

mysticism tended more and more to

discursive

reasoning

contemplation

rather than reasoned knowledge

became more

and more
and

definitely the object of philosophy,

ascetic self-discipline

appeared a surer way

Plotinus

than argument to attain this end.

(whom M. Maeterlinck
cal

calls

"the one analyti-

mystic

"),

and Proclus

after him, present

the doctrines of later Neoplatonism in a sys-

tematic form, and are free from the

magical

and

theurgic
in

extravagances
other hands.

into

which

it

degenerated

The two
mysticism

streams of Christian and Platonic

flowed
together
at

Alexandria,

where Philo had already grafted the flower

of Neoplatonic mysticism upon the stock of

Judaic
school

theism.

Together they produced a

philosophy
with
in

of

religious
faith

which
or
less

Christian

sought,

more

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
success,
to
ally
itself

57

with

the

dialectic

of the

Platonism,

on

the

one
for

hand,
direct

and

on

other with the

that

quest

illumination

characterised

the later

development of

the Platonic schools.

The

mystical theology

of

Dionysius represents,
results

on the whole, the

combination.
In

permanent
this

of this

treatise

we have
in

kind

of

grammar

of mysticism

which principles alone are

formulated, disengaged alike from the experi-

ence and argumentation through which they

had been evolved, and awaiting

the

fuller

clothing of concrete personal experience subse-

quently imparted to them by later mystical

writers.

Though

received at

first

with sus-

picion, the writings of

Dionysius soon attained

a position of authority not less

in
its

commanding
in

day than that of St Thomas

later

times.

We

could scarcely have had

either

the Sentences or the

Summa

without them

and
as
is

their echoes

may be

heard, even when,

not often the case, their direct influence not be detected, in every mystical writer

may
It

since the time of their appearance.

is

probably a mistake to look for any

58

MYSTICISM

direct filiation, or continuity of historical succession,

among
and
scarcely

the

mystical

writers

of suc-

cessive ages
it

periods.

Here, as elsewhere,
the

can

be

doubted that
is

most

important part of history

that

which has

never been written.

Mystical

teachers and

writers were forced into prominence by circum-

stances

but

it

is

more than probable

unseen
the

that

circumstances had no influence on the general

craving

for

knowledge of the
which
underlies
life,

and

abiding

reality

endless

vicissitudes

of

human

as

they

could

have none upon the sources from which that

need
is

supplied.

Such circumstances were

the ceaseless wars which

vast

"made Europe one

fifteenth

camp

"

in

the
the the

fourteenth and
intellectual

centuries,

and
of

and

moral

upheavals

age
;

of

the
in

Renaissance
our

and the Reformation

and the

and

own day

the breaking up of old traditions and institutions,

birth

of

new

principles, ideas

and

customs the

forerunners,

as

it

would

seem, of a new
of which no
times,

order of things the character

man

can yet forecast.

In such
things,

when

the instability of

human

SUPERNATURAL MYSTICISM
or the feebleness of

59
is

human

reason,

forced
notice,

with

special

insistence

upon
periods

men's

the teaching of the mystic has an attractive

force

which

in
is

quieter
at

it

seems
Teresa
in

to

lack

and

it

such times that a Gerson,

or

Tauler,
to

a
tell

Ruysbroeck

is

moved
true

of the "inner

way"

which

peace
illusion,
life.

of

mind
But

may be found amid

and
restlessness

the

instability
it

of

outward
that
elect
in

can hardly be doubted

there

all

times
to

alike

are

countless
is

souls
air

whom
to

mystical

knowledge

as

the

they breathe, but

who

are

more

than

content

be

"mute and
strange

inglorious"

to the
It

end of

their days.

would have

been

if

such

an

abiding

demand

of humanity in general had

never been
Parallel

met with a counterfeit supply.

with the current of true mysticism

there has
sion

been a nearly continuous succeskind

is

of the spurious

in

which, though

conscious imposture

perhaps hardly to be

found or suspected, a greater or less degree

of
illusion
is

easily

discernible.

It

would
far

indeed scarcely be possible to say

how

6o

MYSTICISM
Neo^
;

the Pythagorean contemplatives or the

platonist
ecstatics

come

under

this

head

the latter, at least, have nothing in

common
militant

with the theosophic extravagances of Gnostics,

Montanists

and

later

sects,

whose
at

propagandism

seems

strangely

variance
initial

with their professed principles.

inconsistency
of the

The

supposition

that

the

depositum

of

revelation

needs to be

super-

seded, amplified or modified by mystical com-

munications imparted to a single irresponsible

person
a
to

Priscilla,

Mohammed,

a Joachim,

Boehme

or an

Irving

of
be

itself

goes

far

discredit

the

doctrines

professedly

so

received.

We
the
false

shall consider later the criteria

by

which

true

is

to

distinguished
;

from the

or

doubtful

mysticism
to

it

is

enough
mysticism

for

the

present

remark
to

that
rule,

forms

no exception

the
is

that the value of precious things

attested

by the abundance of

their imitators.
true mystical

^ Tauler credits " Proclus and Plato " with a knowledge of God {Sermon on St John Baptist).

CHAPTER
The

III

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

characteristic

by which mystical states

or experiences of every kind are distinguished

from other states and experiences which have

points

of resemblance

to

them
the

is

that they

are

directly

and

immediately
is

supernatural.

Mystical

contemplation

highest

and
of

closest of those

human

relations with
is

God

which the opposite extreme

represented by

the condition of simple dependence, necessarily

involved

in

mere

created

existence.

Im-

mediately above this comes the

recognition

by self-conscious beings of

this

dependence

and after that, as a necessary consequence, the

rational deduction of the personal, infinite

and

simple

nature

of

God.

Above

this

again

comes the sense of indirect personal relations

with God, through the

medium
6i

of our created

62

MYSTICISM

environment, and most completely and perfectly

through the operation of grace.

With

this

consciousness comes also inevitably the desire

to cultivate these relations at their highest

and maintain them

;

point

of efficacy

and thus

both reason and free-will are drawn into the

universal accord in which each element, from

the lowest to the highest,

fills

its

allotted place

and discharges

its

most

congenial

function.

Rational beings who, by failing to recognise

these relations, choose to hold the position of

the irrational and inanimate part of creation

are, as rational beings, out of

accord with the

is

general scheme
the scheme
is

yet the loss

theirs only

not affected by their failure to

occupy the

place

which

they

might

hold.

They

cannot but suffer individually from the

consequences of their choice

assimilate the
rational
;

which

is

to

to

the

irrational,

the

spiritual to the material

but the scheme holds

the
irrational

good

for

them as

for

beings

whose place they have elected

system
with

to share.

But the crown and summit of the whole

is

that direct intercourse of the soul

God,

which,

ordinarily

at

least,

pre-

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

supposes the sacramental
is
life

63

of
that.

grace,

but

itself
It
is

something more than

a state
in

which

the
is

natural

and

ordinary action of the soul

in

modified,

and

which even the organic functions of the

to a certain extent in abeyance.

body are

We

may

therefore

distinguish

the

three

conditions

thus.

First,

the mere subjection,

to

unconscious
will,

or

involuntary,

the

divine
escape.

which

no

created

being

can
this
is

Next, the conscious realisation of

general

dependence, which includes

all
is

that

meant
and

by

natural

religion,

and

enriched

amplified by the knowledge which revelation

imparts,
faculties

and
which

the
is

elevation

of

the

natural

the effect of divine grace.

To
tion

this state

belongs the kind of contemplaas

is

known
it

natural

or acquired (in

the

sense that

obtained by the exercise of

the natural powers).

called
it

This state
it

is

sometimes
;

mystical.

But

is

not truly so

for

implies

the exercise of natural powers on

natural

objects,

though

under

supernatural

guidance,
natural

but not the

supersession of their

objects

by special and supernatural

64
influence.

MYSTICISM

The mind

in

this

state,

illuminits

ated by

faith,

but by the exercise of

idea

own
of

reasoning power, conceives an

say

the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Sacramental

presence of Christ, or the wonders of divine

providence
tion,

and

contemplates

it

with satisfac-

and even with delight and enthusiasm.

practice of ordinary meditation will lead,

The
if

not uniformly, at least occasionally to conof this

kind.
Its

templation

object

is

not

immediately supernatural,
of
the

though the action

supernatural
kind, nor

mind takes
;

place with

assistance

and
in

it

does not

differ in

indeed always

degree, from such pleasurable

is

contemplation as
scientific

induced by mastering a

problem, following out a logical argu-

ment, or even reading a

all

poem
there

or a novel. are the

In

these instances alike

same

elements

intellectual study,

the development

of a concept or idea, and the "affective" con-

templation of
1

it.^

Such meditation and con4.

i.

"Sweetness in devotion comes from the grace of God. We shall find that many temporal matters give us the same pleasure, such as unexpectedly coming into a large fortune, meeting with a friend, or succeeding in any important affair."
St Teresa,
Castle,
4.
. .

is

natural, although ultimately

it

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

templation,

65

when

their object

is

divine truth,

are indeed the highest exercise of the natural

powers.

And

the special supernatural impulse

it

and support under which

concursus, which

takes place must

be clearly distinguished from the mere divine

is

common
this

to all

human
is
is

acts.

But the object of

in itself

contemplation
;

not

directly supernatural

it

produced

according to the general laws which can be

observed

in

all

human thought and

is

feeling.

That

is,

such contemplation

not in the true

sense mystical.

The
trated

essentially

supernatural
is

character

of

the truly mystical state

perhaps best
all

illus-

by the passivity which

its

writers

on

the subject hold to be

feature.

most characteristic
;

God

is

not discovered by the mystic

indeed this special manifestation of

not,
strictly

speaking, be even

Him may He sought.

makes Himself known "experimentally"; and

the person so favoured contributes nothing, at
least directly, to
1

this

result.^

In

all

natural

Such

criticism as that of

Mr

Inge (" Christian Mysticism,"

would be perfectly just if mystical contemplation were held to be a merely natural process. All the human mind can do towards attaining it is merely negative, and in the
pp. Ill, 112)


66

MYSTICISM
i.e.,

cognition
that

in

the acquisition of anything

may

rightly be called knowledge,

however

complex, recondite or elementary

there must
"apper-

always be a preponderating element of mental

activity.

There must be

not

merely sensa-

tion

and
"

intelligent consciousness, but

ception

the

active direction of the

it,

mind

to

the object before

together with the complex

process of analysis, abstraction, distinction and

comparison which underlies the simplest act of

cognition.

Such

activity

is

involved in the
in

perception of a

tree,

a house or a flower,

the reproduction by the help of imagination or

memory

of an idea

or in the recognition of
in
all

an acquaintance.

But

mystical states

this process is absent.

God

takes possession

of the mental powers and focusses

them upon
nature

Himself,

and those which from

their

cannot be so focussed are

imagination,
use,

left idle.

Memory,
not

or will

may

or

may
is

be

in

according to the nature of the experinecessarily in

is

ence, but the discursive reason

natural order the result of such mere negation or abstraction

zero.

But it is just because of this that true mysticism is perceived to be supernatural. The blank can really be filled only by divine agency, not by human "hypostatisation."

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

abeyance.
is

67

In point of

fact,

mystical cognition
is

to the soul

precisely

what sensation

to

the body.

We
we

do not reason
feel

in

order to ascertain
;

whether we

heat or cold, pain or pleasure

fact.

are simply aware of the

Sensation

cannot be defined, or even described, otherwise than in

its

terms of other sensations

is

and

occurrence

not susceptible of proof, other-

wise than by very inconclusive circumstantial

evidence.

One cannot prove

directly

that
in a

one has a toothache, or that the subject

hypnotic trance has no sensation of the pins

thrust into his flesh

by the operator
it.

we have

only his

word

for

In

the

same way,
conditions

mystical experience
tact

is

a matter of direct con;

between God and the soul

its

may
be
"

possibly be ascertainable up to a certain

it

point, as those of sensation are, but

cannot
or

precisely
It

either

defined,

explained

proved.^
1

follows that the mystical experi-

regard de Dieu peut, a I'aide de imagination, se representer Dieu present en elle. Mais cette image de Dieu, dont nous sommes les auteurs, ne ressemble en rien a la realitd que la contemplation mystique
recueillie sous le
.
. .

Une ame

nous fait sentir. C'est Dieu lui-meme, et non plus son image que nous apergevons." Lejeune, Vie Mystique, p. 10.

68

MYSTICISM
is

ence

not

to

be

obtained by any

means
desires

within the
it.

power of the person who

It is,

obviously, no

more possible
by any

to ensure

experience

of

this

kind
it

deliberate

course of action than

is

to obtain a particular

kind of weather by the exercise of one's

powers.
difference

own

Here
belong

lies,

in fact, the great practical

between mystical
to

states

and those

which

the

ordinary economy of

divine grace, a difference which hardly seems

to

have been always

clearly

present
subject.

to

the

minds of some writers on the

By

the fulfilment of certain

conditions the

devout Christian can attain with certainty to

the enjoyment
of

an

abundant measure of
sufficient for all

grace, sufficient or
his needs.

more than

The

effects of

prayer and of the

sacraments are certain, and are within the reach

of
all

who choose

to

make use

of these

means
the of the

of

spiritual

advancement.

Moreover,

rational appreciation of the mysteries

Christian faith
of
natural

is

open
or

to

all,

independently
skill
;

ability

acquired
sufficient
all

they
the

offer

an

abundantly

field

to

reason and imagination of

men, whether

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

lettered

69

or

unlettered,
;

whether

intellectually
like

acute

or

dull

they

adapt

themselves,

the objects of universal desire in the

life

of

the senses, to the capacity and character of

each separate individual.

flicts

The
life

joys and conof grace

are

and anxiety of the

equally real to the refined

to the rude

and learned and

but there can be

and ignorant, and, fundamentally,

all;

they are the same for

no doubt that they are apprehended under

somewhat
different

different

forms

by

persons

of
the

character

and

education

as
and

satisfaction of the desire for food

identical

conveys an
the

pleasure
alike,

to

the

epicure

ploughman

but the
its

kind of food prechemical qualities)

ferred (as distinct from

is

different in

each case.
fulfil-

But there are no conditions by the

ment of which mystical experience may be ensured and its character, unlike that of
;

ordinary

religious

experience,
efforts

in

no

way

depends on either the

or the

natural

endowments
it.

of

the
is

person

who undergoes
recipient of the

The

mystic

the

mere
;

favours bestowed on him

he can do nothing

70

MYSTICISM

towards either procuring them or determining

their special

character.

Mysticism
as
the

is

there-

fore

to

be
of

conceived
St

raptus
:

or
^

ecstasis
is

Paul

and

St

outside the natural sphere

in

Thomas of human

it

life,
it
it

and

respect

of

all

natural

experience
;

has consequently no place or function

all

for

natural objects of perception are involved

in

"darkness"

and
being

"ignorance,"

and
"

the

ordinary functions of sense and intellect are

for

the

time

directed
"

by the

new
St
or
;

supernatural aptitude

of which St

John of
says

the

Cross

speaks.

"Our

Lord,"

Teresa,

"does not require the

faculties

senses to open the door of the heart to

Him

they are

all

asleep."

"We

can do nothing,"

she adds, "on our part."

"Simple unity with God," says Ruysbroeck,

"can be
those
ness,
1

felt

and possessed by none, save by

who
;

stand before the immense bright-

without reason and without restraint."'

Sufnma, 2. 2. 175 I. c, and cf. St Bernard (De vii. Domo). " Necesse est ad cor altum ascendere et mentis

2 Cor.

Inter.

excessu per divinam revelationam addiscere, quid sit illud ad quod adspirare vel studere oporteat, et ad qualem sublimitatis habitum animum suum componere et assuescere debeat."
*

Ruysbroeck,

De

Calculo.

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

Thus
returns to
that simplicity of divine

71

the consciousness of free rational beings

relations
scale

which,
creation,

at

the

other
as

end
the

of

the

of

appears

perfect

mechanical

fulfilment

by inanimate and
divinely

irrational creatures

of

their

appointed
in

destiny.

The
arrived

human
at

intellect

has,
its

some

sense,
it

the goal

of

desires

when

can say

"ut jumentum factus sum apud Te."

Another obviously necessary consequence of

the passive condition of the soul which
all

marks
as

truly

mystical

states

is

the

certainty

to

the

real

character of those states

which
is

accompanies them.

Here, again, there

-

an

exact parallel in sense

is,

experience.

Sensation

as

we have remarked,
or

incapable of being

defined

proved
it

the
it

one thing that

occurs.

know about

is

that
be,

we Whatever
is

the conditions

may

and whether there

not,

an adequate cause present or

indubitable fact in sensation
is

the

one

the certainty

of the experience.
in

A
not

person

may

feel cold feel

circumstances which
;

cause others to
feel

hot

or

he may

anything

under
feel

conditions

which cause

most

people to

72

MYSTICISM
great
deal

or

again

in

some
feel

peculiar

affections of the nerves

he may

intense

pain

without any apparent cause.

Yet

his

sensations are in every case undeniably

facts.
:

This
is

is

precisely the case of the mystic

he

certain of the divine communication, though

it
;

he cannot prove
it

and

his

conviction

that

is

divine

is

unshakeable.^

It

must, however, be clearly understood that

subjective certitude
is

this

not to be taken
is

for a

proof that the experience so certified

a genuinely mystical one.

in his treatise
list

Benedict XIV.,

De

Canonisatione, gives a long

of natural conditions which

may

give rise
as

to apparently

mystical

experiences

such

nervous excitement, hysteria,

tion

memory

associa-

and

disease.^
list

Professor James gives a

of such causes.

nearly identical
is

Certainty

a conditio sine qua non

without

it,

no mysti-

cal
it

experience can be considered genuine,^ but

is

not

therefore

inconsistent

with decep-

tion.
^

Precisely the

same

thing, of course,

may

^
'

James, Varieties^ loc. cit. Heroic Virtue (Oratorian translation), vol. iii. ch. x. St Teresa, Castle, 5. i. 9 "A soul which does not feel
:

this

assurance has not been united to

God

entirely."

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

be said about sensation.
fact of experience,

73

sensation

is

and

differs altogether

from

the most vivid imaginary presentment of the

same
other.

fact

to the

we can never mistake one for the But we may be widely mistaken as cause of our sensations and we may,
; ;

on the other hand, be deluded by memory or

imagination as to the actual occurrence of sensations in the past.

We

may

so vividly imagine

certain sensations as to think that

have actually experienced them

as

at

we must some time

;

some people are

But
in

said to

have

told a fictitious to believe

story so often that they have

it.

come

such cases the clear realisation of

is

a definite and particular sensation

absent.

certainly

In

the

same way delusions

But

as

to

past supposed mystical experiences are by no

means unknown.
is

in

such cases there

a complete absence of the circumstantiality

is

which

characteristic of all accounts of genuine

;

experiences

and on the other hand, there

is

generally a definiteness and descriptive plausibility

in

accounts of the memory-created exis

periences themselves which

invariably absent

from the genuine ones.


74

MYSTICISM

The
feature

reason of this
of

is

to be found in another

genuine mysticism,
of

namely,

the

impossibility

describing

the

experiences
In

of mystical states in anything like detail.

the

case

of

visions

it

is

true

that

certain
dis-

salient
tinctly

features

of the

appearances are
;

remembered and described

and

in

"locutions" the phrases heard or understood

can be repeated from memory.

as will be

But these,
later,

more

fully

explained

are the
is

"accidents" of mysticism.^
direct contact

Its

essence

with a transcendental reality

its

and

this,

from

nature,

is

incapable
of

of

being

described

in

the

terms

ordinary

sense-experience
is

to

which

necessarily limited.^
^

human language Mysticism can make

"

These (corporeal)

visions,

of created things, between which

inasmuch as they are visions and God there is no congruity

ii.

or proportion, cannot subserve the understanding as proximate

means
lb.
ii.

of divine union."

Asc. of Carniel^

xxiv.

"These super-

natural visitations are nothing else but the motes of the Spirit."
xix.

knows such visions from hearsay. " Of bodily for the person I mentioned can say nothing (herself) never experienced anything of this kind herself, and Castle, therefore could not speak about it with certainty."
St Teresa only
I

apparitions

6.
^

9.

3,

Cf.

Bossuet's Instr. sur les Etats d'Oraison.

ils

"Elev^s k
par
le

une oraison dont

ne pouvaient expliquer

les sublimites

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

no use
to

75

of

the

terms
is

of

sense

experience
;

describe

what
are

supersensible
too limited

and

its

opportunities
it

far

to

enable

to

construct a descriptive

terminology of
of
the
actual

its

own.

The
bare
effect

consciousness

divine

presence
the
its
it.

admits
fact

of

no
be

description
stated,

only

can
the

apart
experi-

from
ences

on

person

who

But though the mystical vision of God

is

a thing which cannot be obtained by natural

langage commun, ils ont 6t6 obliges d'enfler leur style pour nous donner quelque idee de leurs transports." And St Teresa "By some mysterious manifestation of the (Castle, 7. I. 9):
truth, the three

themselves,

Persons of the most Blessed Trinity reveal that which we hold as a doctrine of faith the soul now, so to speak, understands by sight, although it beholds the Blessed Trinityby neither bodily nor spiritual eyes."
etc.

Thus

And

again (Castle,

6. 5.

9)

"

These

visions,

things impossible to describe, are revealed

intuition that
I

and many other by some wonderful

itself,

cannot

explain.''

"On

returning to

the

mind can recall what has been seen, but is unable to describe " Divine operations went on in my B. Angela of Foligno it."
:

soul which were so ineffable that neither angel nor saint could
relate or explain them."

St John of the Cross {Asc.

describe what he learned of

and so gave utterance to when this knowledge is vouchsafed to the soul, words are uttered, yet the soul knows full well that it has in no wise expressed what it felt because it is conscious that there are no words of adequate signification."

Moses was unable to knowledge ordinary words. Though, at times,

ii.

28)

"

God

in that particular

76

MYSTICISM
gift,

means, being God's free

and altogether
it

beyond the sphere of nature,

is

neverthe-

less not only possible but, ordinarily speaking,

necessary
soul
fit,

to

prepare
far
it

for
is

it

can

to

make
for

the

so

as

that
to

possible,
receive.^

the

guest

whom
it

hopes

Though
His
be hoped
for

no amount of preparation
coming,
is

ensure
to

nevertheless

not

for unless the soul

has been
is

made ready

Him.
in
it

This preparation

merely negative

regard to the supernatural state to which

is

preliminary, consisting as

it

does

in the

purification of the soul

from actual

sin,

from

worldly desires and

in itself
its
is,

negligent habits.

But

it

is,

of course, positive enough, and

benefits are definite

and

substantial.

It

indeed,

nothing
the

less

than
of

the
all

fullest

Christian
ditions
sanctity.

life,

fulfilment

the con-

of

salvation,

and
states,

even
as

of

eminent

Mystical

more

clearly later

on, are not

it

we may see by any means

at least ideally

necessary to holiness, and

^

is

Gerson, ^f}'sL

Theol.,

Cons.

xxx.
et

"

Mystica theologia

acquiritur per scholam

aflfectus

per exercitium vehemens

moralium virtutum, disponentium animam ad purgationem."

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

possible
to attain

77

the highest sanctity

with-

out any mystical experience whatever, in the

true or

Dionysian sense.^
"

The
the

first

four of

St Teresa's " mansions

are mainly occupied

by

this

preparation
in
"

for

favours

to

be

received

the

last

three.

The
blending
the

"

Fourth
of

Mansion
natural

consists

of

a
in

the

and supernatural

"prayer of

recollection"

and the "prayer of quiet"; the

subsequent "prayer of union" and "spiritual

marriage
"

are wholly supernatural.

The
tion as

precise nature of mystical

contempla-

distinguished from
functions

other spiritual or
less

intellectual

more or
it

connected

with and resembling

cally

is

defined in practi-

the

same way, though with a varying

detail,

amount of
is

by

all

mystical writers.

It

perhaps most clearly and briefly expressed

by Gerson, who follows substantially

Hugo
of

of St Victor, and the more elaborately sub-

divided
Richard,
soul,

but
his

essentially

identical

method

successor.

The powers
is

of the

Gerson
affective
;

says, are divisible into cognitive

and
^

mystical theology

the object
ii.

See Poulain, Des Graces d'Oraison^ and Asc,

v. 8.

78

MYSTICISM
latter,

of the
former.

as speculative theology

is

of the
of

The

cognitive powers

are

those
;

intelligence, reason

and sense-perception

the

affective

appetite, will

and

synderesis, or the

natural

perception and

consequent desire of
this
last

good.

St

Thomas
power,

considered
a
natural

to

be

not
;

but

intellectual

habit

and though Gerson,

speaks of
it

like other mysti-

cal writers,

as a potentia animae,

he expressly guards himself against the supposition

real

that

he

is

constructing a system of
distinctions.

psychological
distinct,
;

The powers
reality

are

he says,
his

not

in

but

in

name
he

for
it

immediate purpose, however,

to

finds

convenient

treat

them

as

if

they were really distinct in nature.^

The two
Their
first

sets

of

faculties
is

work

together.

or last function

mere cogitation
of the objects

the

discursive consideration
:

of sense

then comes meditation, or the conreason to these

it

centrated application of the

objects,

and the production by

these, again, can

of abstract

ideas

be contemplated by
apart

the
^

simple

intelligence
ix.
;

from
i.

sense79. 12.

Myst. Theol., Cons.

cf.

Summa

Theol..,

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

perception.
tive

79

So

far all is natural

the cogni-

and

affective faculties act mutually

on one

another, and on the objects presented to them.

But above

all

natural
is

objects

is

the

divine

presence, which

known

by

special divine

favour

not as an abstract idea resulting from

but as the

meditation,^

immediate object of
exaltation of the soul

love, in the rapture or

above

itself

which

is

the effect of love whether

natural

or supernatural.
is

Thus
spirit."

" he

that

is

joined to the Lord

It
is

one

plain that

according to this analysis

vision,

the experimental knowledge,

or

con-

templation of

God

takes place through the

;

agency of the natural powers of the soul

supernatural
factor
is

the

the

gratuitous divine

communication which the soul receives.

obscurity,

Some

however, has been caused by the

of
the

language of some

more speculative

mystics on this point.

Eckhart, and after him

" In anima contemplativa amor, et 1 Myst. Theol.^ Cons, xliii. mystica theologia et oratio perfecta aut idem sunt, aut se invicem praesupponunt. Nam, ut patet ex praedictis, mystica

theologia

est cognitio experimentalis habita de Deo per conjunctionem affectus spiritualis cum eodera quae nimirum adhaesio fit per extaticum amorem, teste beato Dionysio."


8o

MYSTICISM

Tauler, speak of the

its

"ground" of the

soul

core or essence, to which the correspond"

ing " ground

or nature of the

Godhead comThis
the

municates
affinity

itself in

virtue of a certain natural

which exists between the two.

the
soul
is

"ground" of
"spark"

also

called

{scintilla,

fiinkelein)
part,

or

"apex"
fittest

as the purest or highest

therefore
self
-

and the
of

to

be

the

medium

the

divine

communication.

Eckhart's

pantheistic

tendencies seem to have led him to assimilate

the "spark" to
the
in

divine

nature, as

homoand
is

geneous
it.

if

not

some sense
this

identical with

Tauler keeps clear of

mistake

with Gerson the scintilla or apex mentis

merely a name

for the intellect,

which

is

the
the

contemplative faculty.^

With Ruysbroeck

"ground"
Being
it

is

the mirror in which the Divine

;

is

reflected

St John of the Cross

calls

the "substance of the soul," or again the

soul,

"eye of the
and the
But the

which

is

the understanding,"

recipient
light
;

of the

divine illumination.
so

may be

excessive

as

to

cause darkness
^

and so we come back

to the

See Inge, "Christian Mysticism," Appendix C.

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

Dionysian phraseology,
in

8i

which darkness and

ignorance are the means of seeing and knowing.

But

all

this

is

evidently the

language

of practical devotion, and not (except perhaps

in the case of
still

Eckhart) of speculative theology,

psychology.

less

of analytical
to
is

What

it

amounts

no more than the doctrine that

the soul has a faculty by

can,

means of which
to

it

when God

so pleases, contemplate

Him

directly
shall

and even become united

Him.

We
may

consider in the next chapter what the

its

nature of the process on

human

side

be supposed to be.
It is

somewhat strange

that such writers as

Hugo and

Richard of St Victor,

St Bona-

venture and Gerson should be spoken of as

having attempted to
scholasticism.

" reconcile"

mysticism with
at variance,

-^- -c

They were never

was
the
unless
in

and
or
all

no

reconciliation

either

necessary
in

possible,

sense

which

theory

may be

considered as attempting
Scholasticism set

to reconcile fact with itself.

itself

to

give a reasoned

account of man's
;

nature and total environment

mysticism was
it

one of the great

facts

which

was bound

82

MYSTICISM
take into consideration
in
;

to

and the Platonic

elements
it

the

earlier

mysticism came into

this.

in

no other way than

itself

But mysticism
or Aristotelian

is

not
its

either

Platonic
it

on

natural
its

side

is

simply human, and

falls

into

inevitable place in the order of

all

things which
to analyse

systems of philosophy seek

and

explain.^

Mysticism

is

always

recognisably the same thing, whether

it

we meet
normal

in

a Platonic or a scholastic dress.

then,

What,

may be
in

called
first

the

course of mysticism

proceeds
the

by way of

devout preparation

discharge of ordi-

nary Christian duties and the use of ordinary

means
enced

of grace

next,

it

leads the soul into

the immediate presence of God, as an experireality,

;

and not merely as a concept or

imagination
in various

and the

third

stage,

described
consists

terms by various writers,

union with

of a progressive
*

God

union

Eckhart

St

Thomas.

Platonist,
S.

said to have drawn his philosophy mainly from Of Dionysius, who is too often treated as a mere Corderius says " Observatu dignissimum, quomodo
is
:

Dionysius primus Scholasticae Theologiae jecerit fundamenta, quibus ceteri deinceps theologi earn quae de Deo

rebusque divinis in Scholis traditur doctrinam omnem atdxHcarunt'^Odservaiiones Cenerales in Dion., 12.

in-

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

which
is

83

not merely a

matter of conviction,
is

the mere union of will which

the privilege

of

all

devout persons, but a

" In

fact of
it,"

experience

consciously realised.

says
to
is

St John

of the
rather

Cross,

"the

soul

seems
indeed

be

God
its

than

itself,

and
in

God by God

participation,

though

reality preserving

own
as
it

natural

substance as distinct from

did before, although transformed in

Him."

St Teresa's well-known subdivision of this

last

or

supernatural

stage

is

threefold the
in
its

prayer of quiet or recollection

form,
in

higher
divine

which
is

the

sense
to
it
;

of

the

presence

communicated

the the

soul

and and
its

contemplated passively by
union, which
in
is

prayer of

"a

foretaste of heaven,"
"

which the soul

seems

to
is

have

left

mortal covering (though this

case)
lastly,

not really the

to

abide more

entirely in

God "
lost

and
God,

the "spiritual

marriage," in which the

in

soul

is

no longer absorbed or
its

but recovers the exercise of

in

powers, though

an

exalted

and

supernatural

way,

and

"sees and understands somewhat of the grace

received in

a strange and wonderful

manner


84

MYSTICISM
intellectual

by means of
three

vision."

Thus "the
Trinity

persons

of
;

the

most

Blessed

reveal themselves

the doctrine which

we hold

by

faith,

the soul now, so to speak, understands

It
is

by and
tell

sight."

remarkable that St Teresa,

minuteness
is

like all other mystics, in spite of the

particularity of her classification,

able to

us

little

or nothing of the actual content

of these blissful experiences.

She exhausts

herself in passionate insistence on the delight

they impart to the soul

but as to the precise

;

cause and nature of

it

she has nothing to say

is

and as

little

can she convey what

to

be

understood by the "intellectual vision," which

is

neither of the

bodily nor of the spiritual

is,

eyes.

The

reason

as

we have already
for

seen,

that these things

are

indescribable,
to

want

of existing words in which

describe

them

or of natural experience with which to

compare

them.
is

Each fragment of mystical knowledge

a

like

aVa^

Xeyofievov

in

the

language of

human

understanding.

Visions and locutions, or voices,

may

or

may

not occur in the states of union

they do not

occur in any other.

Visions are imaginary

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

i.e.,

85

quasi

sensible

figures

pictured

to

the

imagination without causing actual sensation

or spiritual
;

the latter are of two kinds, one

of corporeal
to St

substances perceived, according

light

John of the Cross, "in a certain

in

emanating from God,"

things of heaven

which the distant

and

earth

may be seen
of incorporeal

and the other

existences,

kind

consists
after

perceived

the

same super-

natural manner.

Locutions

in

like

manner may be

either

mentally formed phrases representing thoughts

or

impressions produced by divine grace in

the soul while in a state of recollection, or they

may be formed
natural agency.

in the

mind by

direct super-

But visions and locutions

repeated,

are,

it

must be

not necessarily a part of mystical

;

experience

and

all

mystical writers agree in

asserting that they are, in any case, the least

important part.

In

practice

all

authorities

teach that they are to be entirely disregarded.

It is true that the

experience of such mystics

as B. Margaret

of

Mary Alacoque, Blessed Julian Norwich or Anne Catherine Emmerich

86

MYSTICISM
to

appears
voices.

consist
in

entirely

of

visions

and
in

But

these
it

three

cases,

and

countless

others,

will

be

found that the

to,

mode

in

which thoughts were conveyed

in

and emotions excited

secondary importance.

the person
In

is

of quite
the

these

cases,

communications come through visions of our

Lord seen under various

His
will

aspects,

and declaring

and desires
But
it

in

formally understood

words.

was not the mere vision or

quasi-vocal communication in itself that gave

value
title

to

the

experience,
as

or

constituted

its

to acceptance

genuine, either in the

mind of the
of those

actual recipient or in the opinion

who
the

afterwards

had

to

pronounce
It

judgment on the nature of the

always
manifestation
of

case.

was
and

the

love

patience of the divine humanity that was both

the source of consolation

and the guarantee

of reality.

The

possibility

of self-delusion

in

such a

matter (without considering the possibility of

diabolical deception)
is,

of course, almost infails

;

exhaustible,

and no mystical writer

danger

to

warn

his readers against this

which,

THE NATURE OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

it

87

may be

well to remark, in the processes of

beatification

and canonisation

is

kept constantly
is

in view, and,

as has been already noticed,

strongly insisted on by Benedict

treatise

XIV,

in his

on the subject.

CHAPTER

IV

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

Mystical contemplation
It
is

the sight of God.

else,

cannot be called anything

is

though obviappro-

ously sight or vision

priate

not quite an

word

to describe a process essentially

different
is

from any of those to which the term

applied.

commonly

We

speak of "seeing"
the exercise

indeed, not only

when we mean

of a bodily

organ of sense,

but also,

by a

metaphor,
ception

when we mean

the intellectual per-

of an idea,

or a truth

presented to
is

us from without. of these.

is

But mystical sight

neither

It
;

is

not bodily sight, because

it

God
it

invisible

and
in

is

not intellectual percep-

tion,

because

mystical
is

contemplation

is

not an idea that

seen, but a living reality.

In meditation the thoughts or ideas abstracted

from the subject under consideration are con88

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

templated
;

89

but
it

in
is

mystical

or

supernatural
that
is

contemplation

God Himself
It is

the

object perceived, not any idea of

Him

or any

thoughts about Him.

a unique

mode
it

of perception, corresponding to the unicity of

that which
is

perceived.

Nevertheless,

has

this point of similarity to bodily sight, that the

object
it

is

directly

and immediately perceived

is

is

analogously to the soul what sight

to

the body.

All language in which such vision

difficulty

may be
and
it

described suffers from the

liability to

misapprehension which besets

it

whenever

deals

with

transcendental

realities.

Thus

the

persons of the

Blessed

Trinity can only be spoken of in metaphorical

or analogous terms
cession,
;

paternity,

filiation,

pro-

have

in

this

connection

meanings

very different from those which belong to the

words

in

their ordinary use.

is

The

mystical

sight of God, then,

kind, nor
is
it

not sight of the bodily

like

in

any way
:

ordinary

in-

tellectual perception

it

is

something entirely
all

separate and different from

normal experisoul,

ences of body and soul.

still

The

indeed,

exercises

its

natural powers, or

some of

90

MYSTICISM
;

'

them

but

it

exercises

them under

entirely

abnormal conditions, created by the character

of the object with which
it

has to deal.

This object

is

God
to

but

we

naturally ask

how

the

soul

can see
so

God

how
Himself
is

we can
to

suppose
soul as

God
to

present

the

be directly perceived by

it.

For

the

proper function of the soul

will
:

to think,

understand and

and those functions precombined, as

it

suppose abstract
their

ideas, singly or

objects.

But ex hypothesi
that

is

not an

abstract

idea

the

mystic

contemplates
in

God
so,

does not present Himself

the shape
if

of a concept or a proposition, for

He
;

did
the

He

would not be

directly

present

object of contemplation

would not be God,

but only the contemplative's idea or thought

about Him.

But then what

it

else but

an idea

or proposition can
soul
It

conceivably be that the

"intellectual
difficulty vision".-^

perceives

in

the

appears to be the

of determinto

ing this point that has led

that the immediate

many
that

suppose

and external character of

;

mystical vision

is

a delusion

it

is

really

no more than the contemplation of an idea

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

or an image

91

drawn from the recesses of past

process.

experience and thought, by some unconscious

or

subconscious

Certainly
for this

there
if

would be much to be said

view

we were
affinity

really unable to detect

any possible
the
;

between the soul

its

and

mystical

object of

intellectual

perception

though,

even

so,

the persistent testimony of genera-

tions of mystics to the fact

might well cause

an explanation

one

to hesitate before accepting

it

which explains

away.
it

The
first

difficulty,
is

should be noticed in the

place,

not confined to mystical theology.

It is just as

urgent

if

we ask how any

at

rational

creature can see

God

any time and under

can
the

any conditions.

How
in
;

blessed
are

see
still

Him
at

eternally

Heaven?

They

rational
least,

beings

they undergo,

intellectually

no radical change when they pass

to

from time

eternity

and yet the whole of

God,

their beatitude consists in the vision of

not by any means in merely thinking about

Him.
ground,

If

then

we

are to reject the mystics'

account of their contemplative vision on this

we must

equally reject the doctrine

92

MYSTICISM

of the Church and the statements of Scripture

as
to

the

beatific

vision

hereafter

which
is

practically

amounts

to rejection of Christianity-

altogether.*

But

it

need hardly be said that there

in the

no such obvious lacuna

Christianity

account which

gives
reject

of itself as
it

would

entitle

any one

to

as

inadequate.

The

modus of the
with what

beatific vision

can be explained
entire consistency

quite sufficiently to

show

its

we know of the necessary relations between the human intelligence and its natural
object
;

and the same explanation removes the

at
first

difficulty

which sight mountable of attributing

to

seems

insur-

the object of

mystical

knowledge

any

higher

degree

of

external reality than belongs to the ordinary

" Universal."

This
^

difficulty,

we have

seen,

consists
is

in

Corderius points out that since the soul

is
is

capable of

exercising certain functions without the direct co-operation of

the senses, and

spiritual vision

able to exist in a disembodied state, a purely

not contrary to
is

its

nature.

He

adds that

the mystical vision

beatific

not so precisely "quidditative" as the

less clearly
in

:>.,

the divine essence (which no creature can fully

is

comprehend)
other.
("

much

known

in the

one than

in the

Quaestio Mystica,"

Dion. Myst. Theol.,

c. v.)

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

the disparity between the the
divine
personality.
is

93

human

intellect

and

understand

the

What we want to principle on which it may

divine

be supposed that the intellect becomes directly

conscious
of

the

presence

without
natural

reasoning
function
is

or

abstraction,

when

its

simply to reason or abstract, and

not to perceive by immediate intuition.

St
at

Thomas Aquinas
and
this.

considers the question

his

great length,

conclusion

is

sub-

stantially

blessed

union

The vision of God by the in Heaven is not mere vision, but they see God as He is in Himself,
objects are

not from a distance as sensible

seen, nor

by a discursive

intellectual process

as intelligible ideas are perceived, but, so to

speak, from within.

less

They

are not,

it

is

need-

to

say,

pantheistically

merged

in

God,
action,

but united to

Him

by His supernatural

so that the consciousness in the soul of the

divine

presence

is

akin
its

to,

and

in

some
of

sense
itself.
is

bound

up with,

consciousness
self
-

Therefore as our

consciousness
also the

intellectual

and yet immediate, so

94
beatific

MYSTICISM
vision

of

God

is

both

immediate

and

intellectual.

In scholastic language, the species intelligibilis

is

or abstract idea on which the

"

mind works

practically the " form

of the mind, the

its

mind

itself

(considered apart from

action, as in

potentia), standing in the place of "matter"; this

is

the normal

method of the

intellect's

opera-

tion.

But

for those
"

who

see God,

He becomes
knows
normal

Himself the "form

that
its

to the soul's "matter," so

He

is

known

directly, as the soul

own

natural

ideas.^

Even
far

so,

however,
is

though the action of the

in kind,
it

intellect

is

in

degree

above the ordinary

intellect.
It

and natural sphere of the

fore

thereto

requires a
it

special
in

divine
lofty

assistance

enable

to

work

this

atmosphere
calls

and
the

this

assistance (which

St

Thomas
is

lumen gloriae

and

considers a created

"quality," of the nature of grace)

imparted

by the

fact of the mystical union.

" This mystical denuded ^ Cf. Blosius, Spiritual Mirror, xi. i. union takes place when a soul is carried above itself by the grace of God, and through the brilliancy of the divine light

shining on the
is

mind

is

united to

God

without any medium, and

transformed and changed into Him."


THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE
The
still

95

difference

between the

visio beatificans

of heaven, and the mystical vision of persons

living

on

earth,

is

merely that the one

is

habitual

and

permanent,
;

and

the

other

transient

and exceptional

and whereas the

union of the blessed extends to the risen body

by a kind of

reaction, so that the

body takes
it

part in the vision with the soul with which

is

substantially united, the divine vision for the

is

"viator"

restricted to the soul,

and involves

as a pre-requisite the temporary abstraction of

the soul from the processes of the body.

Thus St
the body
union,
"

Paul

"

knew not " whether

" in

his

mystical vision was

i.e.,

the

body or out of
in the

the
it

body had no part

not

though

could

but be affected
in the direc-

by the psychical state (probably

tion of quiescence
activity).

rather than of any special

The Apostle was

that

not conscious for

the time of anything

took place in the

visitation

body.

It

was

transient

of the

lumen gloriae.

There
scarcely

is

no need,

for

our present purpose,

to take this explanation

(which perhaps
to

will
is

be

intelligible

any one who

96

MYSTICISM

unacquainted with the terminology of scholasticism) as a true

if

account.
it

The

reader may,

he

will,
it

consider

as a

mere hypothesis.
is

What

does, whether true or not,

to

show

that an analysis of intellectual processes can be

constructed which

is

perfectly consistent with

the admission of direct and objective intellectual

intuition of a transcendental reality
is all
;

and

this

that

is

required to remove the apparent

its

disparity between the intellect and

object.
It is

mystical

worth while, however, to notice how

entirely St

Thomas's

theoretical account corre-

sponds with the descriptions given by mystics

of their actual experiences.
First,

the state of actual vision

is

always

transient.

St Teresa says
:

it

lasts not

more

than half an hour at most

St John of the

Cross that the "actual" union of the faculties

of the
soul

with

God must
;

in

this

life
is

be

transient
*'

of
"

necessity

though
is

there

an

habitual

vision,

which

also supernatural,

but permanent, and

may be

considered as the

consequence of the actual union, and of the

nature of an exalted faith in the permanent

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

(or

97

"immanent")

divine presence in the soul.^

This element of permanence we shall consider

later.

Next,

it

is

a state of union, or "spiritual

in
;

marriage
fully

"

at least

its

complete or most
it

conscious form

and

is

evident that

the

union

of

quasi-matter

and

quasi-form
him,

described by St

Thomas (compared by

after Albertus, to the union

between soul and

body)

is

happily expressed by this figure, so

constantly

made
in

use

of

by

mystics.

St

Teresa could not distinguish between herself and God while

the state of rapture
that "the
itself,
;

and
soul

St John of the Cross says

seems
is

to

be

God

rather than

and indeed

God by
i"Dopo

participation."^

questa visione sente sempre I'anima Iddio nel suo mai non si separa da quella divina compagnia, ne mai piu perda una certa unione abituale con essolei questo pero non si intende, che sia in quel modo, che accade la prima volta
interno,

il predetto favore perche se fosse cosi, non sarebbe possibile trattare con gli uomini, anzi ne pure vivere. Ma sebene non vide sempre Iddio con tanta luce e tanto gaudio, lo spirito pero si trova sempre in sua compagnia." (Scaramelli. Dottrina di S. G. della
;

e altre volte che Iddio le vuole rinovare

Croce.

Tratt.

iii.
i

Art.
vi.

2)

and
;

cf.
ii.

St
20.

Paul's

reference

to

habitual union,
^

Cor.

10

Gal.
x.

Cf.

St Augustine, Conf,

vii.

"Tu

assumpsisti me, ut
esse qui viderem."

viderer esse

quod viderem,

et

nondum me

98
It is

MYSTICISM
only in regard to this highest mystical
intellectual

state of

vision that the

difficulty

we have been
impressions

considering arises.
states

Intellectual

or

of

consciousness,

and

images or figures of any kind are not

manifestations of
the
divine

strictly
;

essence

they

are indeed supernatural manifestations of the

presence of God, and as such differ

in

kind

from the impressions or ideas produced subjectively

by natural means,^ but they are not

the "face to face" visions.

in the

We

shall consider

next chapter the psychological problem

involved in supernatural manifestations of this

kind

at present

we

are only concerned with

the actual content of the objects of mystical

perception.

Thirdly,
distinct

the

'^

lumen gloriae" has a very

the experience
of mystics.

place

in

St Augustine speaks of the "changeless light"

seen only by the eye of the soul, and different
in kind,
1

not merely in degree, from that which

Cross, Asc.
ii.

Cf.

St John of the
is,

5.

"The

fitting

dis-

position for that union

taste, feel or

not that the soul should understand,

imagine anything on the subject of the nature of God, or any other thing whatever, but only that pureness and love which is perfect resignation, and complete detachment from all things for God alone."

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

all

99

men
it

see.^
is

According

to

St John of the

Cross,

(like

natural light) not itself the

object of vision, but the

means through which

and
is

divine

things

are

seen,

the
"

superof faith

natural consequence
in

of the "

darkness

regard to

all

merely natural objects.

it

St
in
is

Teresa says that

the
first

"hardly shines at

all
it

mansions

"
;

but in the later ones

if

a light "so unearthly that

lifetime

during his whole

to picture this

any one had been trying

he

and the wonders seen,

succeeded"; and
in the

could

not

have

"spiritual

marriage"
is

the revelation of the Blessed Trinity

"pre-

ceded by an illumination which shines on the

spirit

like

most dazzling cloud of

says

light."

Ruysbroeck
but
is

"this

light

is

not

God,

a mediator between the seeing thought

It is

and God.

a light-ray from

God in

it

God shows Himself immediately, ing to the mode of His persons,

simplicity of

not accordbut in the

His nature and essence."

the
unity

(The

contrast
principle
^

between

of

common

and the variety of individual experiet

"

Non banc vulgarem

conspicuam omni
(1.

carni,

nee quasi

eodem genere grandior

erat, etc."

c.)

loo

MYSTICISM
is

ence

here

remarkably

significant.)

Julian

of Norwich speaks of the "gracious light of

Himself," by which

God

wills that

we should

have understanding.
St Augustine^ distinguishes three kinds of
vision

corporal,
of Daniel
;

"spiritual,"

which

is

here the

same as "imaginary," and

first

intellectual.

Of

the

kind was the vision of Balthasar

the second
is
;

in the

Book

exemplified in
the third kind

the vision of St Peter at Joppa

was experienced by St Paul

"third heaven."

in his vision of the

But Balthasar was certainly

not a mystic, and the revelation to St Peter,

though of a higher kind, was of the nature of

a grace gratis data

it

was not

for St Peter's

benefit, but for those to

whom

he was to be
essentially

sent.

Such visions therefore are not

though
certainly

mystical,

supernatural,

and

though manifestations of both kinds (especially

the second) frequently
periences.
Julian of
all

accompany mystical

ex-

Norwich says that her

:

visions were of
intellectual she

three kinds

of the purely

can say only "the number of

the words passed

*

my

understanding, and
xii. vii. seq.

all

De Gen ad litf.,

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

loi

my
to
I

might

for they

were

in
is

the highest, as

my

sight.
tell

For therein

comprehended
I

cannot
all

what, but the joy that

saw

passeth

that heart can think, or soul desire."

classification is the generally

This threefold
accepted
represents

one

among

mystical

writers.

It

clearly

enough the whole

range
are,

of the objects of mystical vision.

first,

These

as

we have

seen,

the actual conscious-

ness of

God

in

virtue of a formal union of

the intellect with

Him, which

is

the highest
;

and perfect form of contemplation

the
stimulation of the
intellect

secondly,

in

super-

natural manner, in such a

way

as to produce

the direct consciousness of the divine presence

whether
of

by means of an imaginary figure

or sound of

some

sort,

or by the production

direct

intellectual

impression
in

without
senses

any medium whatever, either

or in the
^

the

imagination

^
;

and
"

thirdly,

by the

Cf. Poulain,

Dcs Grdccs d'Oraison.

;

Dieu a deux faqons

peut en jouer
le rule.

possibles de se faire connaitre, I'une a la mani^re des creatures,

par une esp^ce crdde, I'autre sans esp^ce

Or, disent les theologiens, ce dernier
intuitive, celle
;

il

mode

constitue la vision

du ciel I'autre est le propre de la contemplation must be understood that this "species," or impression, need not be anything visual, auditory, or otherwise sensible it cannot be anything merely natural.)
mystique."
(It
;

102

MYSTICISM
but
real

supernatural
sensible

manifestation

of
as

image of some kind

theophany

such

was

seen not only by Balthasar but by

when
three

in

the

in

Abraham which he "saw

sensible

and adored one," the Blessed Trinity

to
It

was mystically exhibited

quasi
-

him under
is

human

forms.

obvious,

as

St

John of the Cross points out at great length,

that certainty as to

the

divine

character of

these

experiences varies

inversely

with

the

degree of sensibility or quasi-sensibility which

belongs
to

them.

Sensible

and

imaginary

impressions

can arise
;

from several kinds of

is

natural causes
if

and

it

consequently seldom,
they are certainly

ever,

safe to

say

that

supernatural or divine in origin.

The

direct

impression St

of

the

divine
as
its

presence
chief

conveys,

Teresa

says,

characteristic
;

an irrefragable feeling of certitude

highest state of union
is

and the

no more

to be mis-

understood or evaded than the self-consciousness

which

is

the
all

underlying condition and

guarantee

of

human

experience,

natural

as well as supernatural.

Lastly,

it

must be noticed

that

however

THE OBJECT OF MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE

closely

103

what may be called the lower kind

experience

of

mystical

may approach

the

ordinary experience of the senses in character,

it

must always be considered as entirely

dis-

tinct

from naturally caused sensations or ideas.

of invisible
is
it

The "knowledge
visible

things" from

and created things

;

true knowledge,
is

legitimately obtained

but

not mystical.
heart with
of

Nor

is

the

moral union
of

of

the

God, or

"union

conformity"
the

which

spiritual writers speak, at all

same thing
can
take

as

the

mystical
exist

union.

The former must

the
latter

certainly
place,

before

but the two are

not identical in any

way.

Knowledge obtained through philosophy,

science,
historical

natural

research or social

or practical experience

and strengthen,

may and should deepen and may even be the means

the

of creating an apprehension of God's reality

and presence

in

world and

beyond

it

and and

in

proportion as

men conform
of

their actions their

affections to the divine

to
in

model and law,

devotion
happiness

the
it

service

God and
affection

their

doubtless increase.

But such
are

knowledge and devotion

and

I04

MYSTICISM
though brought about
:

natural in themselves,

by the supernatural influence of grace

are

they

not

of

the
in

same kind
consequent

(however

high

they

may be

degree) as the supernatural

affection

knowledge

and

which

are properly called mystical.

No

service can

be done to either by confusing them together.

CHAPTER V
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

Next
in

in

order after

the
to

object

of mystical

contemplation

we have

consider the
place.

mode

which that contemplation takes

We
be

have seen that the presence of

God may
by an

made known
three
lectual

to the mystical consciousness in

ways

by

formal union,
or
species,

intel-

impression,

with or with-

out an

imaginative representation or figure,

and

thirdly,

by means of a representation of

a sensible kind.
is

The

object of contemplation
;

unquestionably supernatural
is

but of what
intellectual

sort

the

process,

whether
the

or

physiological,

by
it

which

object
i.e.,

is

per-

ceived?
faculties

Is

also supernatural

do the

of

mind or body

act in

any other
that in

way

or by any other principle

than

io6

MYSTICISM
to

which or by which they are accustomed

act?

The
known
and of

subject

is

necessarily
little

somewhat

obscure one, comparatively

being certainly

as to the nature of the mind's action,

its

relation to that of the senses.

But

some

quite

overwhelming evidence, such as

does not seem to be either forthcoming or

even conceivable, would be necessary

that
either

to

prove

the

mind or the body or both

than
according to the

together can, under any circumstances in this

world,
act

otherwise

accustomed methods and

their

principles,

which

in

general plan

at

least

are well enough

ascertained.

We

have already seen strong

reason

for

considering the supernatural eleto

ment of mysticism
object
ject
;

consist
in

mainly

in

its

that element

the perceiving sub-

being no more than the illumination and

faculties

assistance of the natural

grace,

by divine

and not

their supersession

by any new

power or
otherwise

faculty,

or by the addition of any

function
to
in

unknown
by

those already
the
its

possessed

them.

As

ordinary

operation of divine grace so in

exceptional

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

Operation,
assisted

107

the

natural
;

faculties

are

indeed

and guided

but they continue to act

according to the laws which they follow in

the

absence of any supernatural

aid.

The
of a

actions,

both physical and intellectual,

person under the influence of grace do not

differ
in

kind from those of one

who

is

out-

side that influence,

and are open

investigation.
sense,

to precisely

the

same kind of
is

Faith,

for

example,

not

a sixth
;

or an

extra

intellectual faculty

it

is

merely the action of

the intellect and will directed towards a particular subject,

and dealing with a particular and

is

set

of evidences,

in

itself

no

more

mysterious than other modes of voluntary and

intellectual activity.

On

Christian principles,

indeed, faith
assistance
virtue
;

is

held to be due to supernatural

by means of a divinely infused

is

but the modus operandi

obviously
;

by no means changed by that infusion

force

the

of motiva credibilitatis and the weight

of divine authority are estimated by faith in

'the

same way

as similar evidence

is

estimated

in purely secular matters.

The

supernatural character of mysticism

is,

io8

MYSTICISM
no bar
to the investigation

therefore, at least
in

a purely natural sense of the mental proit

cesses of

may

involve.

Such enquiries
of Professor

as that

M. Delacroix, or

W.

James,

whatever may be thought of their conclusions,

are in no

way excluded

or discountenanced by

acceptance of the supernatural explanation.

Dionysius, and later mystical writers, have
not
troubled

themselves

with

any

psycho-

logical theory in

explanation of their experiin

ences
to

they were, indeed, hardly

a position

do

so.

All that they were concerned with

relate
facts
;

was

to

though, naturally,

they

tended to relate them with so much attention

to

sequence and classification as to produce

is

what

in effect

a kind of theory, or systeme

psychologique privilegU.

But their accounts,

which St Teresa and

though

in

some cases

(of

St John of the Cross are the chief examples)

they are perfectly systematic so far as they

go,^

do not address themselves

of

to

any conpartially

sideration
^

the

mode,

whether

Mr

Inge remarks the general tendency

to

writers of the supernatural kind to schematism.

among mystical 1 may perhaps

1

be explained as a natural attempt

difficulty of

minimise the insuperable

describing such experiences as theirs.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

natural or wholly supernatural,
in

109

which the

supernatural effects are produced.

So

far as

they are concerned, the divine modus operandi

may be
Three
point.
I.

considered an open question.

different views

have been held on

this

It

has been supposed that

man

is

en-

dowed with some kind of

which he
existing,
is

special faculty

by
as

enabled both to
in

know God

and

the higher stages of spirituality

to enter into direct personal relation with

Him.

This faculty has often been supposed to be a

distinct

element

in

human
is

nature.

The
is

vou?

or spiritual part, which

for

designed exclusively
divine,
is

intercourse
\^i/x;

with

the

distinct

from the

or intellect, which

concerned

with created things

both being
in

distinct again

from the animal nature

view, sometimes
called

mankind.^

This

trichotomy, has been

as put forward by

condemned by the Church

times as
held

the Apollinarian heretics, and again in recent

by Gunther

it

was held
spirit (i

in

a professedly modified form by Occam, with^

The Pauline

division into body, soul

and

Thess.

must be understood rational soul, not to two

V.)

to refer to the twofold function of the

distinct substances.

TO

MYSTICISM
explicit

out

and authoritative condemnation,

though with

much
is

opposition.

Again,

the

supposed faculty
or power
of the

held to be an

endowment
with

one

soul,
its

co-ordinate

but distinguishable from

faculties of reason

and

will.

In both forms, however, this theory seems to

be gratuitous; since on the one hand no powers

are attributed to the supposed special faculty

which are not

by the

in

one way or another exercised

intellect

under ordinary circumstances

and on the other hand, there can be no reason

for

supposing that
to his

God

is

unable,
directly

if

He

so

desires,

communicate
natural

with

man

through

intellect,

without having
the

to create a special

faculty for

reception

of divine communications.
2.

Directly opposed to this view

is

another,

which holds the supposed mystical communications

to

have no external

source,

but to

be wholly subjective experiences, due to the

automatic
" subliminal
^

working
"

of

the

subconscious

or

self.^

Much

apparently uncon;

W.

Mysticisme.

Delacroix, James, Varieties of Religious Experience Cf. Vaughan, Hours with the Mystics, i. 158.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

trovertible

iii

evidence
the
field

has
of

been

adduced

to

show
ness

that
far

psychical

experience

extends
;

beyond that of actual consciousto

and that from time

Ideas

time an auto-

matic
the

transference takes place

from one to
arise
in

other.

appear

to

the

conscious

intelligence

without

giving

any
;

indication of their origin, in sense or reason

they are evidently not consciously

the intelligence,

made by

nor are they attributable to

any external source which can be recognised

by means of sense
have
all

perception.

Thus they

the

appearance

of

purely spiritual

communications proceeding from an external

and transcendental region.

are

The theory we
that,

now

considering
that
entia

holds

on

the

principle

non

sunt
are

multiplicanda
justified
in

prcBter necessitatem,

we

not

investing

these

experiences
if,

with
is

any tran-

scendental character,
the
for

as

thought to be

case,

they can be sufficiently accounted

by other means.
question
is,

The

therefore,

whether

the

theory of automatism does really provide a

sufificient

explanation of the

facts.

112
It

MYSTICISM
seems hardly possible
characteristic
to

deny that most

of

of

the

features

the

states

recorded by Catholic mystical writers as experienced by themselves, have been at various

times produced
in

the

experience of others

who

are neither Catholics nor mystics.

The

essential features of passivity, of

incommuni-

cableness,
in

and of manifest

reality are evident

many

of the cases cited by James,

some

of which are the result of alcoholic stimulation,

others of the influence of anaesthetics, and others

again of pathological states

apparently spontaneous.^
of
heretical

while

some are

Moreover, numbers

and

even

immoral

systems of
for their

religion or

theosophy have depended

authority on experiences which

seem

to exhibit

characteristically mystical qualities, but

which

cannot,

from the point of view of Catholic

orthodoxy, be held to be genuine, and either

must be must
This
be

considered
attributed

purely
to

natural,

or

else

diabolical

influence.

latter

was the opinion of Gorres, who

system
of
diabolical

made

out a complete
in

mysticism parallel
^

some

sort with the divine.

James,

op.

cit.^

Lectures XVI. and XVII.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

But
it

113

in

the case

of Catholic mystics
in

and
is

may

probably be admitted,

other cases

exhibiting nearly similar features

there

no

question of any such stimulus as that given

by alcohol or drugs.
wide and somewhat

Nor can
fanciful

their state

be

properly called pathological, unless in the very

sense in

which

the so-called inspirations of genius have been

supposed to be

so.

Abnormal
not,

it

certainly
to

is

and there
this

is

no direct evidence
state
is

show

that

abnormal

as

in

some of

the cases quoted by James, the

result of

spontaneous

some obscure and possibly congenital

abnormality of nervous constitution.^

At
as

the

same

time

it

must be noted
the

that,

has

already been pointed out,

great

mystics
are,

show no signs of such abnormality, but

on the contrary, rather remarkable
mental and physical sanity
affairs

for

their

in

the

ordinary

of

life.

Such mystics as St Bernard,

be distinguished from

St Catherine of Siena, St Teresa and St John

of the Cross seem
to

the ordinary run of people in busines matters,

only by their superior acumen.

^

If

indeed
i.

it

See Benedict XIV., Heroic Sanctity^ and see ch.

pp. 35, 36.

114
Is

MYSTICISM
be assumed that no personal

to

God

exists

or that

God
;

cannot communicate directly with

the soul

or that

man

has no soul which can

receive such communications

then,

no doubt,

the hypothesis, at present

able,

certainly unverlfi-

of automatism may

fairly

be held to be

the most probable explanation of the problem.

But

if

no such presupposition

is

entertained

and

still

more
that

if

it

is

held,

on independent

grounds,

God

exists

who

is

able,

if

He

so chooses, to influence the soul of

man
be

directly

and Immediately, there seems

to

to

no reason

deny

that those

cases of tran-

scendental illumination, for which no physical

cause

can be assigned,

may, with a degree

of probability which approaches certainty, be

attributed
to

divine
to

agency.

For here the

of

question

ceases

be

a
:

matter merely

psychological investigation
bility

the moral proba-

of deception has also to be considered

is

that
the

to

say,

the

probability

that

God
to

would permit those who must be considered

most deserving of His consideration

victims

be

of a

delusion
it

as

humiliating as

the reality simulated by

would be ennobling.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

If

115

we

start with the Christian presupposition

of the nature of

God

it

is

impossible to believe

the conviction universally entertained by the

mystics

of their

immediate intercourse with

:

God

to

be ill-founded
of

at the

same time the

to

theory

automatism

seems

furnish

at

least a highly probable explanation

of

many
moral

quasi

mystical

states

to

which

this

argument does not appear

to be applicable.
start

Those, on the other hand, who

contrary
presupposition,
or

with a
are

with

none,

obviously free to apply the theory impartially

to all cases alike.
3.

The

third

view

is

conciliation
first

of

the subjective and objective theories,

put

forward definitely by

Maine de

Biran,^

and

adopted
1

in

a general
sub fin.

way by

Gorres.

In this
"

Vie de

V Esprit

C/l Delacroix, p. 406.

Comme

de meconnaitre I'identite psychologique des phenomenes de subconscience, qu'ils se presentent dans le Christianisme ou dans d'autres religions ou bien sans d'autres formes que la forme religieuse, beaucoup d'esprits desireux de concilier le fait et la doctrine tendent \ faire droit aux exigences de la psychologic, en expliquant psychologiquement la passivite religieuse, et k celles de la theologie, en maintenant que ce jeu
il

est

difficile

de

lois
;

psychologiques represente

le

plan d'action divine sur les

le

ames

de sorte que

le

subconscient serait

vehicule de la grace

divine."

ii6

MYSTICISM
is

view the experience of the mystic

consists,

real,

and

as he rightly believes, in immediate

intuition of

and communication with the divine

in

being.

But the manner

which the soul

becomes conscious of the supernatural experience

the
is

natural,

and from a
it

certain point

is

same

as that in which

becomes conscious

of the impressions automatically derived from

the " transmarginal

"

sphere.

That

is

to say,

the soul undergoes a certain unconscious modification^ (in the

one case by means of a sensethe

impression,

in

other

by

means

of

a
it

purely spiritual

communication), of which

subsequently becomes conscious by the very

obscure process to which the
title

of automatism
its

has been given

in

order to express

essentially

non-volitional character.
it

The way, whatever

may

be,

in

which we become conscious of

ideas derived from unnoticed sense-impressions

may be

identical with that in

which the mystic

becomes conscious of the immediate divine

presence.

He
this

can give
presence
;

no account of the
suddenly he knows
In

coming of
that
it

is

there and he can say no more.

^

Cf,

Maher, Psychology^

P- 3S7'

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

the

117

same way the mind becomes suddenly

difficult

conscious of the solution of a

problem,
its

of an artistic effect and the manner of

pro-

duction, or of an overmastering moral impulse,

without being able to explain or account for

its

origin.

There

is

certainly a strong apparent

similarity

between the flashes of inspiration

to constitute or indicate genius

which are held

and the mystical

presence

intuition of

an objective divine

and of communications proceeding

;

from a divine person

and the view which

every case seems

regards the rise of the ideas into consciousness

as
to

identical

in

method
in
its

in

have much

favour.

The absence
from imaginary)

of any genuine (as

distinct

sensible impressions in the one case as

com-

pared with

the

fundamental

importance of
present
the sub-

sense-impressions in the other need

no

difficulty,

so

long as
the

we admit
and
with

stantial

reality of

soul,

refrain

from

identifying
conditions.

physiological
It is

psychological

not more

difficult

and

it

may
un-

even appear
state

less so

to conceive of a psychical
consciously
or

produced,

whether

consciously,

by

direct spiritual agency, than to

ii8

MYSTICISM
state

conceive of a psychical

resulting

from
before

a sense-impression.
us, the only difference

In the view

now

between the two classes

is

of experience
originated
in

is

that a true mystical state

the

psychical

sphere

pseudo-

mystical or merely natural states have their

origin
in

sense

impression,
states
;

like

all

merely

natural

psychical

but

the

psychical
state
is

machinery

by

which

conscious

produced we may consider to be the same

both cases.
It

in

may

be

added

that

this

distinction

coincides practically with that which has been

constantly
in

made by

ecclesiastical

authority

dealing with the various types of apparently

spiritual experience

abnormal

on which

it

has

had

to

pronounce an opinion from time to

time.^

The

possibility,

or rather of

the

strong
or
in

probability,

of

deception

one

kind

another has always been kept prominently

view

and

it

is

only after

much

hesitation that

any such case has been pronounced genuine.

Each has been,

as a rule, the subject of pro;

longed investigation and consideration

'

cases

See Benedict XIV.,

De

Canon, passim.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM

119

eventually found to be spurious have had their

orthodox defenders, and genuine ones their

equally

orthodox

antagonists.

St

Catherine

of Siena, St
B.

John of the Cross, St Teresa,

Margaret Mary Alacoque, and a host of

others have

had

to

undergo a more or

less

prolonged period of doubt, suspicion and even

reprobation,

before
;

their

experiences

were

accepted as genuine
neither

and on the other hand,

Molinos nor
in

Madame Guyon
It is

lacked

patronage
ever,
for

high places.

enough, how-

practical

purposes

(and

no

other

purpose can here be entertained) to distinguish

genuine experiences from delusions.

little

It is

of

importance to

know
is

the

nature of the

delusion,

which

it

admitted

might

be

either natural or directly diabolical in origin.

Psychological
into

considerations
;

need not enter

very recently,
that

the
it

investigation

until

indeed,

was
the

scarcely
fact

possible

they

should

but

of

self-deception

has
little

always been familiar enough,

however
its

may have been known about

Abnormal
experiences

nature.
therefore,

may,

be

either genuine or cases of delusion, whether

I20

MYSTICISM
supernatural,

natural or

and the theory

for

last

mentioned supplies a rational basis

classification

this

to

which

it

seems

difficult
it

to

take exception.

At the same

time,

must

be remembered that the criterion which has mainly been made use of by Ecclesiastical
authority
is,

and probably
"

will

always

be, the

external or " pragmatic

morality.

one of orthodoxy and

is

But mysticism which

orthodox

and moral need not necessarily be genuine,

though that which
is

heretical
;

and immoral
in the large

must necessarily be spurious

and

number of
authoritative

cases

of

the

former

kind

no

pronouncement has been made

But
in

or appears to be possible.

such cases
;

there

is

little

practical

need

for authority

doubtfully genuine mystic

rejected

may be

accepted or

by individual opinion, and so long

any
the

as his faith and morals are beyond question, neither acceptance nor rejection can do

harm.

It

may

also

be suggested

that

difficulty

of a decision

may be

considerably

increased by the occurrence of abnormal states

of different kinds in the experience of the same
individual.

The passage from

real

mystical


THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MYSTICISM
121

experiences to spurious ones seems to be far

from an improbable occurrence and the converse process, though doubtless less probable,

can hardly be considered impossible, though

nothing could well be more

trace such a transition.

difficult

than to

But the opinion ex-

pressed of the Methodists by William

Law

is

applicable to a large class of mystical pretensions

"I
spirit

think

that

they have the

Spirit

of God, but they have greatly mingled their

own
^

with

it."

The probable

function of the "subliminal" consciousness

and the nature of the union involved in the lumen gloirae are well though briefly described by Dr Chandler (Anglican Bishop
of Bloemfontein) though it is, of course, incorrect to speak, as he does, of the " spark of the divine nature which is present in us from the beginning, and which makes us spiritual creatures with an organ of spiritual intuition" Ai-a Cceli, pp. 115-119.
;

CHAPTER
EVIL

VI

The
evil

question,

often

felt

to

be a very dis-

tressing one, of the cause

and inner nature of

and of
things,

its

place in the universal

scheme
the

of

has

special
It

affinity

with

principle of mysticism.

would seem only

natural to suppose that those

to

who

are admitted
is

the special divine

intimacy which

the

privilege of mystics should

have something to

say about the

condition

way

in

which the unsatisfactory

is

of this

world
of

to

be

reconciled

with

the

existence

an

omnipotent

and

benevolent Creator, of whose nature they have

a deeper knowledge than others, and of whose
relation to a suffering creation they fore be expected to

may

there-

have a

fuller

comprehen-

sion than the rest of mankind.


EVIL
123
is

This expectation
sidered
writers
to

is

one that
;

often con-

be

unfulfilled

though

mystical
less
fully

do as a

rule deal

more or
is

with the subject, their account

to

often thought

be inadequate, and even unmeaning.

They
it

are agreed that evil

sin

whether
;

considered as

or as the suffering consequent upon

it

has no substantive existence

tion

is

the nega-

of good and no more.

There can be
for

no Summuni Malum, St Thomas declares,

this reason.

As
its

to

how

evil

comes

into being,
in

and what
verse
that

is

place and

meaning

a uni-

must be considered wholly good,

they are by no means explicit.

but
reality

they cannot explain

They know how they know

that evil has no

:

permanence and no substantial

neither

that

it

mars the perfect goodare united with

ness and omnipotence of God, nor troubles

the peace of those

who
is

Him

that
well.^
^

in the

end

all will

somehow be

perfectly

This no doubt

quite satisfactory to

fulness of charity,

" I felt myself in such understood with such joy in that power and will and justice of God, that I understood not only those things about which I had asked, but I was satisfied as to the
Cf.

Blessed Angela of Foligno.

and

salvation offered to every creature,

and about the

devil

and the

124

MYSTICISM
mystic
;

the

who
but
it

receives
is

the

supernatural

assurance

hardly applicable by

way

of argument or explanation to the perplexities of others in this matter.

Nevertheless,

it

is

quite

possible

to

con-

struct a theodicy, or vindication of the divine

justice,
lies

upon the
the
it

basis of the principle which

at

root

of

supernatural

mysticism.

Indeed

is

scarcely possible to do so in

any

other way.
is

That

principle, as

we have

seen,

the absoluteness, or the infinite perfection

All
words."

and independence, of the divine nature.

damned and
Cf. also
is,

all things.

But

all this I

cannot explain

in

(In Catholic Mysticism^

by A. Thorold.)

" One point of our many creatures shall be damned as the angels which be now fiends, and many in earth that died out of the faith of Holy Church, and also many that hath received

Julian of Norwich, ch. xxxii.

Faith

that

Christendom, and liveth unchristian lives, and so die out of All these shall be damned to Hell without end, as and standing all this, Holy Church teacheth me to believe methought it was impossible that all manner of thing should
charity.
;

be well, as our Lord shewed in this time. And as to this, I had no other answer but this: 'That, that is impossible to I shall save my word in all thee, is not impossible to me things and I shall make all things well for this is the great in which deed He shall deed that our Lord God shall do save His word in all things, and He shall make well all that But what the deed shall be and how it shall be is not well. done, there is no creature beneath Christ that knoweth it, nor
;

shall

know

it till it

be done.'"

EVIL

125

depends on God, but

but

He

Himself on nothing
in

Himself.
is

Consequently, His motive

creating

in

Himself

His
is

own "glory"
for

or

"pleasure";

and

this

the only absolutely

good motive which can be conceived

But
of
this

any

action on the part of either the Creator or the

creature.
if

God
world
;

is

" glorified "

if

by the

creation
justice

His power and

reward of the
;

are

manifested in the

good and the punishment of the wicked

certainly

then
its

the

act

of

creation
is

is

good,

motive

is

fulfilled.

Evil

the

work of the
justice

creature, not of the Creator,

whose

and

mercy

alike

it

is

the

means of

exhibiting.

Further, the goodness of the act of creation

is

not vitiated by the fact that

it

involves the

self-caused misery, temporal or eternal, of the

human
to

race.

At

first

sight this does appear

in

be a grave

difficulty,

the

way

of re;

conciling omnipotence with perfect goodness

for,
it

is

asked,
evil

if

God

could create a world

in

which no

could exist, or could even

abstain from creating this one,

why

did

He

not do so

Or

if

He

could not do either,

?

how can He

be omnipotent

But

evil is the

126

MYSTICISM
free-will, not of

work of created
fore,

God

if,

there-

God had
it

abstained from the creation of

is

this

world (or what

different)

the

same

thing,

had

made

because of man's actions

foreseen either as possible or as certain, then

God would
would have

not have acted as God, but

of

in

contravention

His

very

nature.

There
possible

been a corner

of

the

universe from which

cluded, a

He

would have been ex-

good

act

which

He

might not do

He

would have been limited by and dependent

free actions of
is

on the

His possible creatures.

:

But such an idea

absolutely inconceivable

God

cannot at the same time be perfect and

or

limited,

dependent
subject
if

and
to

independent,
the
will

or

supreme
creatures
;

and and

of

His

He

could act in subordina-

tion to anything external to Himself,

He

would

no

longer exist

He

would have destroyed

the centre of a
circle,

Himself.
is

To remove

circle

to

destroy both centre and

and

if

God were
Thus
ence of

not the centre of the circle of the

universe, neither

He

nor

it

could exist.

the difficulty of reconciling the existevil

with the omnipotence and good-

EVIL
ness

127

of a divine creator disappears as soon

as the essential nature of

God

is

realised in

respect of

its

independence and supremacy.

Hence
evil,

also appears the negative character of

is

which

recognised by

all

systems of

thought that admit a supreme being

by

the

Stoic Cleanthes and the Neoplatonist Plotinus

no

less
is

than by St Augustine and St Thomas.

the

Evil
ideal

absence
in

of

certain

possible

or

elements

certain

parts

of creation,

not the existence in them of something hostile

or extraneous.
free-will,

Sin
its

is

the perversion of the

;

not

inhibition

pain
the

is

the

dis-

order of the organism

or

faculties,
;

not

a fresh element in their constitution

ing,

suffer-

whether mental or bodily,

is

mode

of

natural self-consciousness, not consciousness of

a different kind from that which

pleasure.

experiences
the
is

Moreover,

if

evil

in

ordinary
held
to

(not

the

"metaphysical")

sense
its

be identical with sin and

as
sin
it

consequences

must be on Christian principles

harmonious

then
inter-

and suffering are two mutually counterfactors

all

balancing
action

in

the

of

the

elements of the universe

188
evil
is

MYSTICISM
an accident of that which
;

is

specifi-

cally

good

it

is

provided for

in the universal

scheme of
traction
in the

things, as the expansion

and con-

of the

main-spring

is

provided for

mechanism of a watch

it is

an irregu-

larity of detail

which subserves the regularity

of the whole.

The
either

only

alternatives

to

this

view

are

an impossible Manichean dualism, or

as

some form of philosophical pessimism, such

or those which
are

the original underlying principle of Buddhism,

adopted respectively by
is

Schopenhauer and Hartmann, or such as

really latent,

though not acknowledged,

of

in

the

"substance"

Spinozism

or

the

idealistic

absolute of Bradley.

The

subordinate dualism

of Christianity relieves the Creator of

what
while
for

may be
its

called

responsibility

for

evil,

fundamental monism provides a place

in

evil

the

scheme of things no
which
it

less

secure

than

that

finds

in

the

supposed

universal substance or the absolute.

As a
to

philosophical statement of the Christian

evil this

view of

can hardly be unacceptable

it

any one.

But

must be admitted that

EVIL
it

139

fails

to

go

to the root of the matter,

even
the

when combined,
doctrines of the

as

it

should

be,

with

Incarnation and the Atone-

ment as constituting a manifestation of divine

mercy superimposed upon that of the divine
justice

which appears

in the natural universe.

No

merely speculative account of

evil

can

be entirely satisfactory, even apart from the

necessary incompleteness of any speculation

on so purely transcendental a
as evil
is

subject, so long
felt.

not merely known, but

its
is

What
is

gives this problem

the
fact

peculiar

poignancy

that
;

evil
is

primarily

a matter of

experience

it

but cold comfort for those

that
their pains

who

suffer to

disturb the

know harmony

do not

of the universe or disits

prove the goodness of

Creator.

"There

never yet was a philosopher that could endure

the toothache patiently," and
it

seems improb-

able that any rational explanation of the origin

and nature of

evil,

however unexceptionable
will

on philosophical or theological grounds,

ever subdue the

human

instinct of rebellion

against the prevailing law of suffering.

But mysticism stands on a

different plane
I


I30

MYSTICISM

from that of philosophy or speculative theology

;

it

is

an experience as direct and as

real as

even the most entirely corporal forms

it

of suffering, and

is

consequently able to
to
all

provide a real

counterpoise
far

pains of

mind or body
even
from
;

different

from the someor

what empty consolations

those
of

of philosophy,

the

deepest
it

human

sympathy
theless

with which
in

latter

has neverprobably,
that the

something

common.

It is

indeed, in genuine

human sympathy
is

only real
for

consolation inadequate
to

enough

unavoidable suffering

be found by

natural

means

it

does not indeed diminish

but a kind of set-off
is

or shorten the pain,

provided by the regard and affection which

the sympathy implies.
tion,

There

is

no consolaan enemy's

but
;

rather

the reverse,

in

sympathy
in

but the joy of friendship manifested

is

sympathy

felt

to be a distinct gain
it

due
an

to the suffering

which has given

occasion.
in

In

somewhat the same way, though

higher
is

infinitely

degree,

the

joy

of

union
mystics

with

God

consolation

which

consider to

be cheaply bought at the price

EVIL
of

131

any

pain.

Argument

and

explanation

become, as compared with such delights as

the mystic knows, of very minor importance the " familiar friendship
"
;

of

God

is

a practical

argument,

more persuasive

than any other

could possibly be, for His absolute goodness

and

infinite

power, no matter what

in the

difficulties

may be found

way

of reconciling them
within the

with earthly appearances

narrow

range of human thought and knowledge.

This

eminently practical
of
evil
is

solution

of

the
in

problem

implicitly

contained

what has been called the "mystical paradox."

Mystics constantly assert
better
to

that
in

it

would be
than to
Either

be united to

God
in

hell,

be separated from
^

Him

heaven.^

"A soul is suffering sorrow and disquiet, darkened and dry, but is set at peace, freed from all trouble and filled with light, merely by hearing the words, Be not troubled.' These deliver it from all pain, although before, if the whole world and all its learned men had united to persuade it there was no cause for grief, it could not, in spite of their efforts, have got rid of its sadness." (Castle, vi. 3.) " Souls care nothing for that have reached the state I speak of
E.g.^ St Teresa
:

the

mind

is

'

their

own

pain or glory
it is

if

they are anxious not to stay long in

of
its
:

purgatory,

more on account
of

its

keeping them from the

presence of

God than because

B. Angela of Foligno {loc. at.) was damned, I could not possibly grieve nor labour

torments." (/<J. vi. 7.) " If I knew for certain that

less,

nor


132
is,

MYSTICISM
of course,
is

actually simply

inconceivable

the paradox

merely a strong assertion of

the absolute dependence of the creature

upon

the will of the Creator, and the entire con-

tentment which a soul that has once realised

that

dependence must

feel

in

occupying

its

divinely ordained place in the universe, what-

ever

it

may

be.
is

The
is

point of view

shifted

the universe

envisaged from

its

true

centre,

which

is

God, not from the

of
self.

false

and imaginary centre

faint

likeness to this conception

may be
hauer
;

perceived in the "contemplation of

of things
"

the kernel
in

extolled by Schopen-

Hartmann's doctrine that the "ends

"

of the unconscious

and

in

the notion

made our own, advocated by Comte and

should be

by the

" ethical religions " of the present day,

be less zealous in prayer for the honour of God, so perfectly did I understand His justice." Ruysbroeck " Lord, I am Thine, I should be Thine as gladly in Hell as in Heaven, if in that way I could advance Thy glory." Adornmejit of the Spiritual Marriage. B. Margaret Mary Alacoque "Je ne sais si je me trompe, mais il me semble que je voudrais aimer mon amour crucifix d'un amour aussi ardent que celui des Seraphins, mais je ne serais pas fachee que ce fut dans I'enfer que je I'aimasse de la
:

sorte."

Vie par ses Contemporaines.

EVIL
that
life
is

133

to

be viewed and transacted from

or

the standpoint of humanity,

of posterity.

The

idea, thus stripped of its personal aspect,

becomes

utterly

unreal

and

ineffective
it

but

in the mystical consciousness

furnishes the

only antidote ever yet discovered (and that,

it

would seem, a complete one)

to the bitter

sense of wrong and injustice which the evils

of
life

are apt to engender.

To

regard the

world and oneself from the point of view of

the whole

human

race, so as to act altruisti-

cally for the benefit of others,

or to
is

expend

devotion on the idea of duty

to be so united

one thing

with

God
in

that the thought

is

of self

is

lost

and forgotten
pose

quite another.

One
less

is

an

artificial

regard to blood;

abstractions which have no vitality

is

the

other

the

actual

grasp of the very root

and

vital principle of things.

Thus
living

the

mystic translates into

the
theoretical

real

and

experience

principle

adduced by Christian philosophy as the explanation of the existence

and nature of

evil,

and

furnishes what for practical purposes

may

fairly

be called an experimental

test of its validity.

134

MYSTICISM
the

On

other
evil
is

hand,

the

mystical

attitude
its

towards

strongly corroborated by

exact and obviously unpremeditated agreement

with the only metaphysical theory which provides anything like an adequate account of
the origin and nature of
It

evil.

may be noted
to

finally,

that the consola-

tions of mysticism

in

this

matter are by no
mystics.

means
the

be confined
place,

strictly to

In

first

the blind trust in the divine

is

goodness, which
practical

probably for

many

the only

resource in the
its

pains and anxieties

prima facie appearance of unreasonableness when it is founded

of
life,

loses altogether

on

real,

even

though

vicarious

experience.

The
God,

logical

position

of

the

Christian

who

believes in the goodness and omnipotence of

in spite of

appearances to the contrary,

merely because he would otherwise be unable

to

believe
to

in

God

at

all,

certainly
if
it

leaves

much

be desired.

But

is

reinforced

by the consideration that those who

know
is

Him

best have

found,

by

direct

experience

which cannot be gainsaid, that

He

both
really

omnipotent and good, the position

is

EVIL

135

no

less reasonable

than that of those

who

are

convinced of the insularity of Great Britain

without having personally circumnavigated
it.

Secondly, the mystical attitude towards the

problem

is

quite consistent with the absence in

any

particular individual of mystical experience

properly so called.

There are doubtless

not less

in-

numerable Christians whose conviction of the

power and goodness of God

conviction

is

in

degree than that of the mystic, though their

is

founded on theoretical rather than

directly experimental grounds.

The

certainty
is

of

faith,

supported as

it

nearly always

by

a strong sense of the care and protection of

divine Providence, and by the experience of

favours granted in answer to prayer,

is is

in

no

way

less

strong

in

some

respects
is

it

even

stronger, than that which

based directly on

mystical knowledge.

But even

in this case the mystical experience

of others, whether recorded in

or in

Holy Scripture
or

the lives

of the Saints,

by living
or

contemporaries, provides an aid

**

to faith,

motive of credibility

"

which cannot rightly

be overlooked.

CHAPTER
The

VII

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

supernatural character of mysticism dein

pends upon the double aspect

presence
in

which God's

may be considered. In one point of view God is everywhere present in creation, and thus may be approached by
creation
all

men, even while they are confined physically

to the material sphere of the senses.

is

There
local

between God and His creatures no

interval,

and

no

intelligible

intermediation
exist.

such as the Gnostics conceived to

The

world

is

not revolving apart from God, for;

gotten and neglected

relation

nor

is

it

brought into

with
of

Him

only through a hierarchy

existences

or

chain

subordinate spiritual

or emanations.
said to be
"

God

is

rightly, in this sense,

in

immanent

"

the world as the

constant efficient cause from which everything

136

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

in

137
its
is

every
;

moment

of

existence
ruler

derives
all

being

as the

supreme

of

that

and as the and

intelligent designer of all

all

forms

of being, together with

their permutations
is

combinations.

He
et
is

everywhere per

essentiam presentiam

potentia?n}

On

the

other

hand,

God
in

by

nature
all

absolutely

distinct

and separate from

merely
the

created existin

ence, not

way

which

one

created being

may

differ in

kind from another,

of
-

but

by
is

the

unique

nature

His

being,

which

absolute and self

dependent,

and

thus altogether incommensurable with created

things,

which are necessarily dependent and

derived.
similitude
is

Though all creatures are in the of God by virtue of the being which
to

communicated

them by Him, they are

all

absolutely unlike

Him
any

in

His independence;
in

no imaginable greatness or perfection

creature can give
to
this
it

any

sort of resemblance

essential

and
by

fundamental

attribute

of

the

divine

nature.

Therefore God can

intellectual

only

be

known

separation
ii.

* Sutnma, I. viii. 3, and cf. St John of the Cross, Ascent^ and Spiritual Canticle^ xi. 2.

5,

138

MYSTICISM
all

from
in

creatures

He

cannot be expressed

terms of anything but Himself, or brought

under
content

any

category
is

which

has

any
for

other

there
which
is

no "formula"

God, no

class to
If

He may

be said to belong.

God

considered as intelligent, wise,

powerful,

beautiful

or

He

is

still

none

of

those things in the same sense in which they

can be predicated of creatures,

who can

only

be

intelligent,

wise or beautiful by participa-

tion, as their

very existence

is

only participaspeculative

tion

in

the being of God.

exists

The
is

knowledge that God

tion, theoretically,

the

recogni-

of a unique kind of being

but

the

experimental
is

knowledge,

which

is

mysticism,

immediate experience or appreis

hension of that which

essentially different

from

all

else,

and must therefore be appreafter a wholly different

hended or experienced

manner from that

created existence.
is

in

which
is
is

we

experience

That
and
it

to say that

God
sense

transcendent
with

only

in

consistent

His transcendence that

which

He
God

can truly be said to be immanent

in creation.

There are two other senses

in

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

has been held to be immanent
:

139

one of them the

conception of Spinoza, the other of Eckhart and

Hegel.

The former
namely
This

holds that

God and
two

nature,

or spirit and matter, are identical

thing,
" substance,"
in

the
in

same

different
in
its

aspects.
strictly

notion

is
;

immanence

etymological sense
in
it
;

God

is

nature
it,

and remains
for

He
;

cannot be outside

there

is

no outside
it,

and
is

He

cannot be

distinct

from
of
is

for

He

constituted by the
their relations, of

sum
and

total

its

parts
fact

and
the

which

He

in

underlying

unity

reality.

Much

the
is

same

relation to the

world of phenomena
to the absolute.

attributed

by Bradley

The
in

other view regards nature as a

of God's being, a necessary phase or

mode moment

His

self-realisation.

Nature

is

identical

with God, but

quantitatively
is

God

is

more than nature (not

but intensively), inasmuch

He

both prior and posterior to nature, in the

not
necessarily in
is

order of thought, though

the

order

of

time.
;

This,
for

however,
in

not

really
is

transcendence

God

this

view
it

ontologically one with nature, so far as

140

MYSTICISM
;

goes

creation

is

a necessary part of God,

in

and

He

transcends nature only

the sense

of being more than, not different from nature.

Under
is
is

either of these
in nature,

two conceptions God

"given"

and experience of nature

experience

of

God.

There
be

is

no place

therefore for vision,

"rapture" or "ecstasy,"
merely the

the

object

of

which would

non-existent.

All the mystic could do would

be to

reflect

upon

his

sensible

experience,
the

and compound a syncretised

"threads and patches
thought and feeling.
It
is

Deity of

"

of individual sensation,

very

different

process

that

the

supernatural mystic
limitations of

expounds, so far as the

will

human language

allow him.

God

is

substantially or essentially present in

the soul, as

He

is

in all created things

but

the mystic does far

more than merely

he seeks
is

reflect

on

this truth.

What

the super-

natural union

of likeness, begotten by love,

which
the

is

the

union of the

human
realise

will

with

divine.

He

seeks

to
in

the unfelt not by

its

natural presence of

God

creation,

resting in any aspect of nature, even

most

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

abstract one, as

141

mere being, but by entering

the source of being.

into a personal relationship with the concealed

presence which
as

is

Wherein

Spinoza saw natura

naUirans
pure

natura

naturata^
itself

and

Hegel

being

evolving

through the maze of the becoming, the

supernatural mystic cuts himself loose at one

blow from

all

phenomenal entanglements, and

all

"passes free and untrammelled by

seen and
invisible
all
"

that

is

that sees

" into

the " intangible

is

and
all

presence of

Him who

"

beyond

things."^

This appears to be the true

of
the

inter-

pretation

doctrine
soul,

of the
is

"ground"
in

(Grund) of the
the

which

prominent

German mysticism
to
it

of the fourteenth century,

and

which reference has already been made.

appears in Eckhart, Tauler

This doctrine, as

and Ruysbroeck, and the German Theology,

is

somewhat confused, and has

led to

some

apparent misunderstanding.^
^

There are two

See Dion., Myst. TheoL,

E.g., Tauler

c. i.
:

{Sermon of St John Baptist) " There is no past or present here and no created light can reach or shine into this divine ground for here only is the dwelling-place of God and His sanctuary. This divine abyss can be fathomed by no creatures it can be filled by none and it satisfies none ; God
^
;
; ;

"

142

MYSTICISM
*'

"grounds," spoken of respectively as

created
to

and "uncreated," and the two seem

treated

be

as

almost

interchangeable
to

whence
speak of
if
it

these

writers

seem occasionally
part

the essence or substance of the soul as

were uncreated, and a

essence.

of

the

divine
at least

But the general principles of

Tauler and
to

Ruysbroeck certainly require us

understand the created ground to be the

substance of the

human

soul, as distinguished

from

its
it

faculties

the
is

principle
acts,

in
is
;

virtue of

which

not

merely

but
to

and the

uncreated
as
that

ground

then

be understood

substantial
is

or

"immanent" presence
in
all

of

God which

to

be found

created

things alike, as the background and support

without which they could have no existence

at
all.

The
word

close contact (as for

it

want of a

better

must be

called)

between the
is

two

is

obvious.

The

created ground

the

essence of the soul, a thing which cannot be

directly
only can
invocat.' "
is
fill

known, but
it

only
For
it

inferred
this

from

its

in

His

infinity.

abyss belongs only to

the divine abyss, of which

is

written 'Abyssus
Theology., ch.

abyssum
i.
:

And compare

the

German

"

He

the substance of

all things."

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

operations, a
entity,

143

purely spiritual and intelligible

all

removed from

direct
is

experience

and the uncreated ground

which

another purely

spiritual entity, also incapable of

ally

being naturbasis

experienced,

is

the

of the

created

ground's

existence

the

ground of

the ground, in

fact.

But when the mystical

union of the soul with

God

takes place, the

two grounds become

in

a certain sense one.

God

is

realised as the foundation of the soul's

being,

and the
is,

soul's

perception of

its
its

own
unity

essence
with

in fact, the

perception of
nature.
identified

the

essential

divine

Eckhart
the

seems, at times, to

have

two

grounds

in

an ontological
;

and not merely was

mystical unity
of

and the

others, in the fervour

devotional

experience,

as

perhaps

natural,

have not always kept the

clear.

distinction
is,

perfectly

But

their

view

on the

whole,

intelligible
affinity

enough,
with

and

far

removed
But
the

from any

pantheism.

struggle with the sense-implications of language

perpetually besets mystical writers, and never

ceases to involve their meaning in obscurity.

The

ordinary processes of the mind can be

144

MYSTICISM
in

expressed

words only by way of metaphor,

and the meaning of the language of psychology

is

not always to be easily apprehended.

Much
some
to

more
sense

must

the
is

application

of language to
in

that which
its

beyond thought, and

be
difficult

negation,

and

liable

misunderstanding.
It will

be clear enough, however, from what

has been said that the terms "immanent" and

*'

transcendent," as applied to the divine nature,

are not mutually exclusive, but indicate merely

two aspects
scendence
of

of the

same
is

thing.

The
and

tran-

God

immanent,

His

immanence
is

is

transcendent.

By immanence

to

be understood the divine accessibility

to the

human

soul,

and by transcendence the

essential
all
if

independence of the divine nature of

persons.

created things and

The

words,

used

rightly,

must be used

in the

Kantian

or subjective sense of two ways in which

God

may be apprehended by
ing two

us,

not as indicat-

modes of His
exist,

existence.

God may
partially

be known to

and His nature

understood, by the Baconian

" interrogation " of

His handiwork; thus our knowledge of God

IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE

through nature
is

145

an immanent knowledge.

But
is

the

conception of

God

so

arrived

at

of a being

who wholly
Himself
being-.

transcends nature,

and whose
is

essential distinctness
is

from

all

that

not

eternally

fundamental

attribute of

His

Thus our knowledsfe

as manifested by

of

God

is

transcendent as well as immanent,

since while
nature,
act,

we conceive Him

we conceive Him
This, however,

also,

and

in the

same

as essentially distinct and separate from

is

nature.

not the same thing

as

saying that
it,

God

is

in

nature
;

and

also

beyond
neither
action
;

but the exact contrary

God
et

has

two modes of being nor two modes of

He

is

totum inter omnia,

like

totum
is

extra

His

action,

His

existence,

either wholly

immanent or wholly transcenview adopted.

dent, according to the point of

To
is

contrast the two, in an ontological sense,

to

really

make

a cross-division

as

if

we

were

to

contrast

His omnipotence with His

It is

power

to create a universe.

not to be

wondered

at that a fancied distinction

between

God's immanental and transcendental actions

should have led to strange results.

CHAPTER
PLOTINUS

VIII

The

experimental knowledge of

God by means

of special divine illumination must, according

to the

view we are advocating, be considered

of Christianity.

to

be the prerogative

For

since the fulness of divine knowledge, so far

as
life,

it

is
is

attainable by
to

human beings

in

this

be found
is

in

the Christian religion

alone,

it

evidently inconceivable that such

fail
is

knowledge should either

in its
it

to be found there

highest form, which

mysticism, or that

should exist elsewhere in equal perfection.

is,

This view

for the

most

part, fully

borne out

by a comparison of Christian mysticism with

such few instances of non-Christian religious
experience as
epithet

may by any
mystical.

straining of the

be

called

So

also

the

mystical

pretensions of persons
146

outside the

PLOTINUS

147

pale of the Catholic Church, and those which,

though made on the behalf of Catholics, the

Church holds
untenable

to be

spurious, are
principles
laid

manifestly

on

the

down

by-

Catholic authority as to the necessary character and results of true mysticism.

There
difficult

is,

however, one case which

it

is

not to regard as an exception to this of

Plotinus.

rule

that
all

This
sole

remarkable
instance
in

figure

stands
the

out

as

the

which

conditions

of

true

mysticism

(with the necessary exception of faith)

to

seem

have been

fulfilled

by one who was neither

a Catholic nor a Christian, but the father of

Neoplatonism,
form.
in its later

and fully-developed

Plotinus was born about the year 204,

at

and studied

Alexandria under

Ammonius
Rome,
year of his

Saccas, but at the age of forty went to

where he taught
life,

until

the

last

Emperor Gallienus being one of his disciples, and died in Campania in the year He was much sought after in Rome 269.
the
;

as a kind of spiritual director

life

his habits of

were

ascetic, as

indeed would naturally

be the case with one who so despised material

148

MYSTICISM

things as to be " like one

who was ashamed

or parents
or

of being in the body, and therefore could not

bear to speak
country."
^

of

his

birth,

His

philosophy

insists

strongly

on

the

transcendence of God, the supreme unity and

absolute Good, which
all
is

above

all

being and

thought.

Beneath the One are intelligence

(vovi),

with which the Platonic ideas are identi-

fied,

and the soul

things

{'^vxh),

which
its

is

the pro-

duct of intelligence, and in

corporeal

turn produces

by

impressing

form

upon
the

indeterminate, unqualified matter.

Thus
together

body

is

in
;

the soul,
all

rather than the soul in

the body

things

are

held

by

the One, which continually draws the manifold

to
itself.

Man's part

is

to

rise

up from the

diversity

and degradation of matter, through

thought, into union with the one and absolute

Good.

We

are not, however,

now concerned
its

with Plotinus's philosophy, but with

practical

consequence.
soul's

It

is

in

the final stage of the

upward
^

course,

its

union with

God and

Porphyry, Lt/e of Plotinus.

PLOTINUS
rest
in

149

Him,

that

the

system

of

Plotinus

becomes purely mystical.

The

nature of this

union

is

described in

the sixth Ennead.

Like Dionysius after him

Plotinus does not bring out very clearly the

notion of special
grace,
vision.

supernatural assistance,
of

or

as

a necessary condition
also
like

mystical
insists

But,

Dionysius,

he

strongly

on

the distinction
{/w-h

between mystics

and

the

uninitiated

/uLejULvrj/nevoi,

compare
"

Dion., Mys^.

TheoL,
not,

i);

and he speaks, as
the
" call

Dionysius

does

of

and
This

"drawing" of the
the soul
is

supreme Good, whereby

it.^

brought into union with

union with
place in the

God, or

vision

of

Him, takes
it

"substance of the soul";

is

rather contact than

mere knowledge, though

it.

knowledge
It is

is

a necessary preliminary to

ecstasy, unity, the projection of the soul

itself,^
8ri

out of
^

in

virtue of the affinity which

Kal 6 (pus vi^ napix^''
ei ToiavT7]v
^^ci i/j.Treabi'

iKuvo

^vxv
iK

SuliKei

avrov
avro

ixvoi Kipel, oStoi 8e7 davfid^nv

Svvaiiiv
Trpbs

?% ^Xkov
avrb

irpbs

Kal

avaKoKovfievov
vi. 7.

ird<xrj%

TrXdvTjs,

'iva,

dvairav<rai,TO.

Enn.

^ oil

diana, dXKd dXXos TpSiros rov iSuv,

avrov Kal
iJ.y]S^

^K<TTa<7i.$

Kal

dirXuais
r;

Kal

e'7rtSo<rti

^(pecris
voTjcriv,

irpbs d(pr]t>

/XTjdk

Kar' iTncrrri/xTjv

crvpecrii

iKelpov

Kara

ilxrwep

rd &XXa

vorird,

dXXd Kara napovalav

iin(XTriiJ,7}s

Kpeirrova.

/d.

9,

ISO

MYSTICISM

the soul has to the as a self-centred

One by its own unity, monad (to "^uxm olov Kevrpov).

Plotinus
that
is

Like Dionysius again,

the abstraction from
is

enlarges on

all

manifold which

needful before union with the

One can be
its

attained.

The

soul

in

that

union despises

even thought, which previously had been

delight
o
{SiaKeirai

rore wg kui tou

;

voeiv KaTa(ppovtv,

rov aXXov XP^^^^ WTrd^ero'j

much more
is

all

material

things

for

there

movement, or
is

unrest even in

thought,

whereas the one

unmoved, so that the soul that abides

one
finds
It

in the
all

absolute
is

rest,

and

abandons

things.

as

if

one entered a splendid

its

mansion and admired the beauty of

adorn-

ment

but

when

the

master

of
all

the house

appears, one cannot but forget

those objects

of admiration in the joy of seeing Him,

who
as

comes under no similitude of Himself, but

the object of true vision.

For

this
;

Master of

the house

is

no man, but

Himself known not

but as
filling
it

God and makes by means of common sight,

which beholds

the

soul

Him.
nor

Again,
beholds

is

not beautiful things that the soul

this

in

vision,

nor beauty

itself,

PLOTINUS
the whole band (xopov) of virtues
;

151

as

if

one

entered

the

vestibule

of a

temple, and

saw

there the statues and similitudes of the God,

but afterwards going within the sanctuary, saw

no more any statue or

being Himself.

picture, but the divine

This union between the soul

in its clearness the
kqi
epwixevoi

and God resembles

of earthly lovers
deXovreg)
;

union

(epao-rai

avyKphai

the soul will have no other thing,

;

good or bad
alone

but

itself

alone will enjoy

Him

(ifa Se^tjTai luovtj /j,6vovY

Thus we
conceptions

find in Plotinus the

most advanced
mystics.

of

the

great

Christian
;

There
or

is

no vision or locution
spiritual.

all

is

abstract
tells

purely

But Plotinus

us

almost in identical phraseology of the Mansions

of St Teresa,^ of the prayer of quiet, of St
John's dark night of
faith,

and of the
(Kevrpov)

spiritual

marriage; the ''ground"

is

of the soul
.

with him as familiar and as necessary an

it

idea as

is

with the

German

mystics.

Quotations might be multiplied and coin'

"

Ne

croirait-on pas entendre encore Plotin,

quand
"

la sainte

fille

(St Teresa) nous

recommande 'de
oil

porter les yeux vers le

centre qui est le palais

habite ce grand roi?'

St Hilaire,

LEcole d^Alexandrie.

152

MYSTICISM
noted to almost
will

cidences

any extent.

But

what has been said

be enough to show
its

the character of Plotinus's mysticism and

marvellous agreement
natural type.

with

the

true

super-

The

question therefore arises

whether we are

to consider Plotinus a

genuine he must

supernatural mystic or

not

and

if

be held to be

so,

we

are immediately con-

fronted with the further question of his true

relation
all

to

Christian

mysticism.

For unless
Neodelu-

supernatural

mystics,

Christian and

platonist alike, are subject to a

sion,
it

common
to

would seem

difficult

assign

the

same

origin to the mystical experience depicted

to the " mystical theology " of

by Plotinus as

Dionysius, or of St Teresa and St John of

the Cross.
It

must be remembered that Plotinus was,

and that
where
in
in

during the most important part of his career,

in

close

contact

with

Christianity,

not in any outlying region of the

distinctions

faith,

of

creed might

be

obscured

the

minds of an unlettered people, but

Rome itself Moreover, during his at Rome he must have witnessed

residence
the pro-

PLOTINUS
scription

153

and persecution of Christians under

Decius, and the admission of Christianity to

the privileges of a religio licita by his pupil
Gallienus.

He

can,

therefore,

have

been

ignorant neither of the exclusiveness of the

Christian religion, nor of the influence able to exert over both those within
it

was

and those
fact,

without
to

its

pale.

He

seems, in point of

have disregarded Christianity altogether

like

he was neither a convert,

Victorinus a

century after him, nor an opponent, like his

disciple

Porphyry.

Yet

he

must have

in

some fashion
it

deliberately rejected Christianity;

cannot

have

escaped

his

notice.

But

the reason

why such an

ani7na

naturaliter

Christiana should have resisted the attraction

of a faith which had so
his

much

in

common

with

own system cannot even be

conjectured.

We

can only choose between two theories

of the cause of his affinity to the mystical theologians of the Church.

represent him
as
affected

The

first

would

by the deliberate

approximation to Christianity which the later

Neoplatonism undoubtedly exhibited, and which

we

can hardly be mistaken in regarding as a

154

MYSTICISM

desperate effort on the part of Paganism to

fight
its

the growing

power of the Church on

its

own ground
of

with

own weapons.
the
revival

To
of
of

this cause are attributed the quasi-Trinitarian

doctrine

Neoplatonism,

Mithraism,

and

the

life

of
It

ApoUonius

Tyana by

Philostratus.^
it

may

well

have
to

been the case that

seemed advisable

meet the widespread mysticism of the early

Church
was,

naive

and simple-minded as
in the visions of

it

often

as, for

example,

Hermas

with a theory not

on what professed
Plotinus,
istics

less mystical

but founded

to

be

higher Gnosis.

indeed, has none of the character-

of a

merely speculative theorist

all

his

work bears
ence,

the signs of personal experitells

and Porphyry

us

that four

times

during his six years' association with Plotinus

his

master attained to the state of mystical

union.
It is

scarcely possible to attribute conscious

to

insincerity

character
:

so

striking

and

majestic as that of Plotinus

writings
^

the spirit of his

is

of itself almost sufficient to clear him

See Bigg, Christian Platonists of Alexandria^ Lect. VII.


PLOTINUS
155

of any suspicion of mere vulgar charlatanism.

But

it

is

not

actually

impossible

that

his

mystical
natural

experience
order,

may have been

due
not
to

of the

and

any super-

natural illumination, but

by way of automatic

suggestion, to the direct tendency of the philosophical

It

system

in

which he was absorbed.

than a strong

may have been no more

emotional realisation of intellectual principles

obtained by remarkable philosophical acumen.
Certainly one

may

notice

apart

from

the

quietism

suggested

by some

passages

an
his

element of mere negative abstraction

system, which
highly
is

in

indeed necessitated by the

abstract

and

practically

impersonal
but

nature which he attributes to the One,

which makes a very marked contrast with the

warmth of personal
amicitia Jesu

relationship

ih^familiaris
in

which

one

finds

Christian

mysticism.^
^ The distinction made by St Hilaire {pp. cit.) is only verbal, and might with equal truth be reversed. " Les mystiques chrdtiens different de Plotin en ce que soutenus par la foi, pour la plupart du moins, ils n'ont trouve dans I'extase que I'union

mentale et spirituale avec Dieu, tandis que Plotin y a trouve Dieu meme. L'ame de sainte Therese se marie a Dieu, comme I'ime celle de saint Francois de Sales de Gerson et des autres
;

de Plotin se transforme en Dieu, ou plutot

elle est Dieu."

iS6

MYSTICISM

As has been already remarked, the theory now popular of automatism furnishes a much
needed explanation of the close resemblance
borne to supernatural mysticism by the various
kinds of mysticism which, on Christian principles,

cannot be accepted as supernatural

in

any other sense than that of a possible connection with diabolical agency.

There
this

is

nothing to prevent us from holding

theory about the mysticism of Plotinus

it

but

must

be
it

admitted
is

that

the

direct

evidence for
description.

of

the

scantiest

possible

The

alternative

is

to accept the experience

of Plotinus as one of those manifestations of divine grace outside

its

regular channels, the

occurrence of which has from time to time

been

quite

unmistakable.

The number
large

of
to

instances
entitle

has
to

never

been

enough

them
to

be considered anything but

prevailing
felt
it

exceptions

the

rule

and the

Church has never

nounce

her business to prothe

spiritual

judgment

upon

state

of individuals outside her boundaries, strictly

as

she

is

compelled to

reject

as

false

all

PLOTINUS
doctrines
principle
for us "
so,

157

contrary
that

to

her
is

own.

But

the
is

"he

that

not against us
;

may perhaps be appHed here and if we may consider Pk)tinus as an involuntary

reality

witness to the truth of the Christian view of

mysticism, and the
of of the experience
if

Christian

mystics.

Why,

this

is

the
>

case, Plotinus (and possibly

Porphyry as well)

should have been favoured with special divine

illumination
it is,

of course, impossible to say.

We
to

have no data that could be of any service

us
in

an attempt
exceptional

to assign a

reason for
of divine

such

an

dispensation

Providence.

But

it

must be remembered that

is

mystical experience

not of

itself

an evidence
It

of sanctity,
is

still

less of final perseverance.

possible to suppose that an individual

may

have been favoured with the grace of mystical

knowledge

for

the purpose of his conversion,

failed
;

and may have

divine intention

to

correspond with the

as the

Magi might,

if

they

had chosen, have

of the
^

failed to follow the

guidance

star.^

This seems to have been St Augustine's view of Neoplatonism, and especially of Plotinus, whom he calls "mag-

nus

ille

Platonicus."

"Si Platonici, vel quicunque

alii

ista


158

MYSTICISM
adopt,

Whatever explanation we
is

the
its

fact

that the system of Plotinus, on

side,
is

mystithat of

cal

practically identical with

all

Dionysius and of
it

Christian mystics, though of

all

has nothing whatever

its

that

gives

Christianity

power

to attract or influence

or console.^
senserunt, cognoscentes

Deum,

sicut

Deum
fierent,

glorificarent, et

gratias agerent, nee evanescerent in cogitationibus suis, nee

populorum erroribus partim auctores non auderent, profecto confiterentur

esse possimus,
est et illorum."
^

partim resistere

et

illis

immortalibus ac
qui et noster

beatis, et nobis mortalibus ac miseris, ut

immortales ac beati

unum Deum deorum colendum,

Civ. Dei.
x. 3.

Quod enim
et
et

ante omnia tempora, et super omnia tempora

unigenitus Filius tuus coaeternus

incommunicabiliter manet
tibi,

quia de plenitudine ejus accipiunt animae ut beatae

sint,

quia
;

participatione
est
ibi
;

manentis

in

se

renovantur
ix.

ut

sapientes sint

quod autem secundum tempus pro

est ibi.

impiis mortuus est

non

St Aug., Conf.

vii.

CHAPTER

IX

HERETICAL MYSTICS
If

Plotinus

furnishes

solitary,

or

almost

solitary instance

of a system which, starting

from
a
to

false or

inadequate principles, arrives at

method of mystical contemplation scarcely

be distinguished from genuine mysticism,

the historical cases of an apparently converse

process

are

too

numerous

to

count.

The
as

names of those who, beginning as more or

less

orthodox

Christians,

have

ended

extravagant visionaries, or as maintainers of

principles

opposed,

not

merely
all

to

Catholic
con-

orthodoxy, but even to

victions,

sane,

human

are freely scattered over the pages

of history.

True mysticism has undoubtedly

fre-

been gravely prejudiced by the existence,

quently side by side with
'59
it,

of extravagances

i6o

MYSTICISM
identi-

which claimed an equal and apparently

cal

authority

with

that

of

true

mysticism.

There

are, nevertheless,

very real and clearly

the
two,
for

marked
there
is

distinctions
really

between

and
the

no reason whatever
in

common condemnation
The
First,

which

sometimes

both are hastily included.

external
or
all

"pragmatic"

test

is

easy

of application to
it

such cases in two ways.

is

obvious that,

from the Catholic

directly

point of view at least, tenets which

contradict

the

rule

of

faith

cannot have a
sense
true.
it

divine

origin,

or

be

in

any

Secondly, as has been already remarked,

is

incredible

that

a fresh revelation should

be given with the divine purpose of superseding- that

which was once

;

for all delivered

to the saints

or,

even

if it

could be granted

that such a fresh revelation were conceivable,

that
it

should be given in a less public and

fashion,

tangible

and

be

of
it

less

universal

application, than that

which
is

endeavours to

supplant.

Theosophy

not theology, either

offits

mystical or speculative, but the degenerate

spring of a false theory of mysticism

and

HERETICAL MYSTICS
method
both
in
is

i6i

nothing but a corrupting influence,

in

theology and

philosophy.

Its philo-

sophical

tendency

is

apparent

in

the

tran-

scendentalism alike of Kant, Jacobi,

Schelling and

Fichte,

Hegel,

and of Schopenhauer
practically

and

Hartmann,^

who

agree

in

taking crude emotional data as the basis of

^*J^

rational

explanation
imperative,"

of
the
"

things.

The
than

"categorical

" Indifferenzless

punkt,"

"self-objectivisation

no

the Will and the

Unconscious, are instances

idealism
Plotinus

of the

a priori

from

which such

Neoplatonists as
entirely
free.

and Proclus were

there
is

In

theology

scarcely

any aberration of human

travagance
directly

credulity,

or
is

ex-

of

human
to

fantasy,

that

not

attributable
Priscillian

the

same
the

source.

Montanus,
Luther,

and

Fraticelli,

Calvin and

George Fox,
unlike as
respects,

Boehme,
they are

Swedenborg and
to

Irving,
in

one another

many
on

agree

in

founding
generally
^

themselves
irrational

unreasoned,

and

intuitions.

Mysticism, in

Cf.

Unc. in the

Hartmann, "Philosophy of the Unconscious" {The Hutnan Mind, ch. ix.).

L

i62

MYSTICISM

the Catholic view, cannot but be discredited

whenever

it

enters into competition with the

magisterium
leaves
its

of

the

Church
becomes

whenever
personal

it

true

sphere of

the

and
and

experimental,
didactic.

and

dogmatic

But one naturally looks further

intrinsic

for

some
wishes

distinction

which

may
;

differentiate

spurious
to

from
of

true
its

mysticism

one

judge

character,

not

merely
but

by

the

practical
its

test

of

its

fruits,

by the

nature of
selves

principles,

considered in themall

and apart from

consequences

or

relations with particular philosophical or theological doctrines.

Such a

distinction

is

readily

to be

found in the essential features of true

mysticism, which
a nature as to
in the

we have seen

to

be of such

be incapable of presentation

form of abstract doctrine.

is,

The

essence

of mysticism

as

we have
or

seen, the actual

experimental

vision
is
it

knowledge of God,
and
in-

and

in

itself
;

necessarily ineffable

describable

may be
it

either real, or imaginary

and delusive, but

false,

cannot be either true or

in

the sense in which a doctrine must

HERETICAL MYSTICS
be one or the other.
conceivable
fact
It
is,

163

of course, quite
or a

that

a doctrine

matter
;

of

may be

revealed in mystical vision

is

but
be,

the

doctrine or fact

not,
it

and

cannot
not

mystical,

simply
or

because

belongs
sphere,

to to

the
that

mystical

supernatural

but

of the
false

sensible

and

intelligible

world.

A
a

doctrine

or
is

statement

for

which
either

mystical authority
real

claimed

may be

divine

communication,

misunderstood

and misreported, or a deduction from a true

mystical

experience,

or

mere delusion

of

the senses or the imagination.

so put forward
is

Any
be

doctrine

open to

criticism like

any

other

statement,

and

cannot

accepted
it

merely on the authority attributed to

by

an

individual

victim of his
standing.

who may possibly be the own imagination or misunderit

But

is

evident that where the

doctrine constitutes the whole of the experience,

there

is

really

no

question

at

all

of

mysticism.

The

intelligence of the person to

is

whom
known
truth,

the doctrine

supposed

to

be made
a
not

may have
or the

led
;

him
he

to

discover
or

reverse

may

may

i64

MYSTICISM

have been under the guidance of divine grace

in

conceiving
for

it

but

there

is

no

ground
to

whatever

supposing such a person

mystical

have

received a genuine
Since,
to
in

communication.

such a case, the doctrine purports

be the bare description of the supposed

vision,
it

mystical
victed

is

by that very
mystical

fact

con-

of

error

true

experience

cannot be described or translated into terms

of the non-mystical.

Dionysius's paradoxical
in

canon
one,

is

here

precisely

point

" If

any
it

seeing God, knows what he sees,

sees, but

is

by no means God that he

created and knowable."

something

A
may
be

deduction,

on the other hand, from a

mystical experience, or series of experiences,

quite

conceivably be

mistaken one,

even though the experiences themselves may

real.

There can be no reason

that

for

sup-

posing

the

favour

of

mystical

vision

implies any subsequent immunity from intellectual error

lapse.

or,

for that matter,

from moral

Neither Moses nor St Paul was, or

be, so safeguarded

supposed himself to

by the

mystical favours bestowed on him.

St John

HERETICAL MYSTICS
of the Cross insists at great
possibility

165

length on
divine

the

of

misunderstanding

com-

munications, as well as on the danger of mis-

taking for them those which come from another

source,

and concludes, as do

all

mystical writers,

that

much importance should

then,

not be attached

to such experiences.^

Doctrines,
authority,

which

claim

mystical

must be judged

to be true or false

according to the support they receive from the

conclusions of reason or the truths of revelation
;

their claim to be in themselves mystical

is

experiences

refuted by the fact that

they

are doctrines, or theories about God, whereas

mysticism
theories

is

concerned not with doctrines or

belong to the domain, not of
of
speculative

which
but

mystical,
solely

theology

but

with

God
may

Himself.

The

experience,

of whatever kind, upon which such doctrines

are

founded,

or

may
its

not be genuinely

mystical,

and must be judged of apart from

authority
is

the doctrine for which

claimed,

according

to

its

alleged

character,

and the
is

condition of the person by

^

whom
xix.

it

under-

Ascent,

II. xviii.

and

i66

MYSTICISM

gone.
in

Thus
state

visions

experienced by persons

of alcoholism,

nervous

or

brain

disease, or artificially

produced anaesthesia, are

manifestly to be attributed to those agencies

visions or imaginations of the state of

man-

kind or of particular individuals,

material
universe,

or

of the

however

vast,

picturesque

or symbolical they
mystical,

may

be,

are certainly not

but

are

generally

due

to

natural

emotion,
gestion,

mental
or

excitement,

automatic

sug-

some

similar cause.

Those only

are to

be considered even possibly mystical

which include a direct consciousness of the

divine
presence,

which are preceded

by no

emotion or excitement, which can be probably

traced
to

no physical or mental cause, and

fully

which are not capable of being

in

described

words.

We

may
of

illustrate

the

principles
-

thus

obtained by one or two of the best

instances

spurious
the
sect

mysticism.
variously

take

first

known We may known as

Fraticelli,

Christian

Brethren,

Beghards

or

who

flourished in the fourteenth

and
as

fifteenth

centuries,

and were condemned

heretics

HERETICAL MYSTICS
at to

167

the

Council of Vienne.
constantly
subject

They were
to

said

be

visions

and

ecstasies,

and were accused (no doubt with

immoral

some exaggeration, but probably not without

grave
cause)
kind.

of

practices

of

the

grossest

They were

influenced,

more

or less directly, by the speculative pantheism of Amalric of Bena, and professed to regard

matter

as

secondary

and
;

comparatively
so
that

unimportant aspect of

spirit

when
truly
in

the spiritual aspect of the universe

was

apprehended, material things and conduct

regard to them became altogether indifferent.

Such
a

spiritual

apprehension was held to be

natural

process,
will.

and open

to

all

human
at

beings at
against

One
sect

of the charges brought

this

by

Pope

Clement V.
powers
the

Vienne was that they held the

to

Beatific vision

be attainable

by the
any

natural
for

of

mankind, without
vention of
the

need

inter-

lumen gloriae.
to

They

thus

denied what

we have seen
of
true

be a funda;

mental

postulate

mysticism

they

were not really mystics, but imaginative or

"

temperamental

"

theosophists.

Their

so-

i68

MYSTICISM
was
akin,

called mysticism
to

on the one hand,

called

what some modern writers have

or
*'

sym-

bolism

nature

mysticism," and
of the

on the

other, to

the

humanism
view of

Renaissance,

their practical

life

being pretty nearly

treatise

identical with that of

Lorenzo Valla's

on Pleasure.
doctrines

Visions and ecstasies allied with

this

of

kind

must

obviously

be

taken as the consequence of such doctrines

rather

than as their cause, and can be con-

sidered only as a neuropathic form of sensuality,

as

far

removed

from

true

mysticism

as anything could possibly be.

Of

very

different

character

were
of

the the

strange

transcendental

imaginations

pious shoemaker, Jacob Boehme.

His mind

appears to have been constantly fixed on the

idea of

God

and by a purely natural process

it,

there

arose

in

together with

many sane

and devout
cal

reflections,

a kind of philosophi-

statement of the problems of existence,

transferred in strange and bizarre phraseology

to

the divine nature.

These ideas Boehme

to

declared to be

"opened"

him; they came,

his

he could not say how,

into

mind,

and


HERETICAL MYSTICS
had upon him the
effect of a

169

communication
there
is

from an external source.

need, indeed there
is

But

no

no

possibility of accept-

ing his explanation of their origin.

tive

medita-

and abstractive mind, without authoritative

restraint, will naturally
in

guidance or
inevitably

and almost
the

find

the

abstract

idea of
the

divine
it

nature a repetition of
at

influences

sees

work
Abyss,

in

the

surrounding world.
Trinity,

Thus

the

the

Potential

the

relation of

Being to Not-being, the Will, the

Imagination, the Maiden Idea and the moving

Fire,

and the
the

like,
-

are undoubtedly no
philosophical

more
under

than

pseudo

forms

which Boehme

conceived

and

contemplated

the universe, and which rose by

of auto-suggestion
into

some process

his

consciousness as

he contemplated the idea of God, and thus

appeared to him
it.

in

some sense

identical with

Boehme has
Gnosticism

affinities

as

probably

all

naturally

contemplative

minds must
Neoplatonism
other,

have
on the

with

and

one hand, and on the

idealism

with

modern
Hegel,

with

Jacobi, Schelling

and

and with Schopenhauer and Hartmann.

But

lyo

MYSTICISM
true

with

mysticism he has none whatever

he may be thought to claim a revelation as

the authority for his system, but to mystical

theology
ledge

the experimental, knowof God he makes no pretension.

ineffable

The theosophy of Swedenborg may be

direct

classed

with Boehme's, inasmuch as both pretend to

knowledge of transcendental
whereas
is

realities.

But

Boehme, with

all

his

strange

terminology,

philosophical and intellectual,

in

Swedenborg does no more than embody,

crude,
*

allegorical

form,

certain

phases
do,

of

Protestant theology.

His visions

indeed,

profess to be statements of fact, and not allegorical or

imaginary
if

to be, in fact, a revelation.

if

But even

this

claim were admitted,

one

could seriously accept, for example, the story

of the angels' protracted attempts to convert

Luther from

his doctrine

of justification, and

their daily fluctuations of ill-success,

still

we should
presence

have nothing

like a true mystical experi-

ence.

The

spiritual, ineffable divine

in

has no place
indeed

Swedenborg's
sadly

gallery,

and

would

be

incongruous

there.

Swedenborg's

symbolical

interpretation

of

HERETICAL MYSTICS
Scripture, elaborate
it

171

and dogmatic

in

tone as

is,

has

really

nothing to do with mystical

theology properly so called.

Quietism has appeared to

be
a

many

writers to
:

genuine

example

of

mysticism

the

doctrines of Molinos and

Madame Guyon have

former
has

been identified with those of St Teresa, and

the

condemnation

of

the

been

attributed to the recalcitrance of their authors

against ecclesiastical

authority,

as contrasted

with the docility of St Teresa and St John

of the

Cross,

But the

doctrine

of

" dis-

interested love," as interpreted by the Quietists,

is

quite

a different thing from the mystical

it

passivity of St Teresa, to which

likened.
passivity
faculties

has been
mystics,

With

her,
in

as

with

other

consists

concentration
indeed,

of

the
in

upon God,
"acts,"
;

not,

always

successive

but at least in

one con-

tinuous act
the
soul

whereas the Quietist would have

its

renounce
existence,

very personality and

that
ecstatic
state.

conscious

and
of

not

merely

during
tion,

the

condition
as

contempla-

but
is

permanent

Madame

Guyon

never tired of declaring that her

172

MYSTICISM
" has

soul

no

inclination

or
is

tendency

for

anything whatsoever";

she
is

"in such an

abandonment
in

"

that she

obliged to reflect

order to

know
"
I

"if she has a being

and
to

subsistence."

have to make an
I

effort

think
in

if

am and what

am

if

there are

God

creatures

and anything

subsisting."

Whatever may be thought of

Segneri, D'Estrees,

the opinions

or conduct of the opponents of Quietism,

of

Bossuet,

La Chaise and
its

De

la

Combe,

it

cannot be doubted that

distinctive

doctrine,

no

less

than

the

con-

demned

propositions extracted from the Guida

is

Spirituale,

contradictory, not only of divine

revelation, but of the elementary facts of

human
:

nature.

But

it is

in

no sense mystical

it is

theory founded professedly on mystical experience, but

it

is

not and cannot be the experiherself says of a

ence

itself.

Madame Guyon
that
it

mystical state which

she declares herself to

have experienced

was

" too

simple,

pure and naked for

of
it.

me

to be able

to

speak
are

The most

elevated

dispositions

those
is

of which one can say nothing."

to exclaim,

One
But

tempted

si sic

omnia

HERETICAL MYSTICS

173

the difference between mystical contemplation,

and theories more or

less

directly

founded

upon

it,

could

scarcely

be

better

illustrated

than by

Madame Guyon's

account of herself.

The
not?

question remains, are these professedly

mystical experiences genuinely supernatural or

On

the whole, one

is

inclined to think
to

that they

may

be.

They seem

have had no
;

emotional state immediately preceding them they are apparently indescribable and unsought

they produce subjective conviction of a direct

divine influence
;

and they do not appear

to

have any
or

real

tendency to suggest the

doctrines

false

questionable

founded on them.

We

may

therefore perhaps safely admit that

Quietistic mystical experiences

may

well have
;

been genuine and supernatural ones

that
case,

and

in

that

the
to

doctrines

founded upon

them were due

them.

mistaken inferences from

There

is,

at

any

rate,

no reason

for

regarding the Quietist doctrine as necessarily

connected with mysticism,

or

as

necessarily

discrediting the mystical experiences

if

such

they were

which

gave

rise to

them.

precisely similar distinction

must of course

174

MYSTICISM

be made between the approved teaching of orthodox

mystics,

and
it

the

incommunicable

experiences on which

was founded.

The
own
was

reforming zeal of St Teresa and St John of

the

Cross had to win

against

its

way on
;

its
it

merits

powerful opposition

very

far

from being considered as guaranteed

spiritual

by the

and personal favours which

gave

birth

to

it.

The

frequent

and extra-

ordinary visions of Margaret

again, and
resulting

Mary Alacoque,

the

widespread popular devotion

from them, gained acceptance only

after

by degrees, and

much
in

opposition.
life,

The

essentially mystical side of her

which has

been somewhat obscured

general estimation
to her

by the prominence very naturally given

visions

and

revelations,

is

easily distinguish-

able amid the

more

striking but less evidently

it

supernatural occurrences in which

abounds,

and follows the

lines

uniformly characteristic

of genuine mysticism.^
^

"

Tous

les matins, lorsque je m'eveille,

il

mon Dieu

present,

auquel

mon
;

coeur

s'unit

me semble trouver comme k son

soif
si

principe et k sa seule plenitude

ce qui
les

me donne une
je

ardente d'aller a I'oraison, que

m'habiller

moments que

mets k

me durent

des heures.

J'y vais le plus souvent sans


HERETICAL MYSTICS
Thus
false
175

the alleged difficulty of distinguishing

is

from true mysticism

reduced to that

of

discerning

whether any alleged mystical

is

state or experience

truly
this

reported
is

by

its

subject

or

not

and

difficulty

again

greatly

reduced by observing the regularity

certain

with

which

features

appear

in

all

mystical

experience that

may be
of

considered
still

genuine.

The element

uncertainty

remaining arises from our frequently inadequate

knowledge of the circumstances of any alleged

experience

such

as that of

Madame Guyon

above mentioned
me

together

with the a priori

mon Dieu fait en moi. ... II semble quelquefois que mon esprit s'eloigne de moi, pour s'aller unir et perdre dans I'immense grandeur de son Dieu. Mon entendement demeure dans un aveuglement si grand, qu'il n'a aucune lumi^re ni connaissance que celle que le divin Soleil de justice lui communique de temps en temps. C'est en ce temps que j'emploie toutes mes forces pour I'embrasser, non pas des bras du corps, mais des interieurs, qui sent les puissances de mon ame. J'eprouve encore des attraits si puissants, qu'il me semble que ma poitrine est toute traversee de rasoirs, ce qui m'ote souvent le pouvoir de soupirer, n'ayant de mouvement que pour respirer avec bien de la peine. La partie inferieure ne voit ni ne connait ce qui se passe en la partie supe'rieure de mon ame, qui s'oublie elle-meme et n'a d'autre desir que de s'unir et se perdre dans son Dieu.
autre preparation que celle que
.
.

Voilk

les plus ordinaires

occupations de

mon
t.

oraison,

non pas

quejefais, mais que

mon Dieu fait en

Vie par Ses Contemporaines

Vie

moi, sach^tive creature."

et

CEuvres,

i.

176

MYSTICISM
necessarily

discredit

thrown

by heretical or

immoral inferences upon the source to which

they are ascribed.

Where

the alleged mystical

state fulfils the conditions

which admit of

its

being attributed to a supernatural cause, and

the inferences based on
it

are in accord with

the principles of religion and morality, there

is

practically

no room

for doubt.

CHAPTER X
MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY

AND RELIGION
;

Philosophy
since

is

the explanation of facts

is

and
it

mysticism
has
falls

undoubtedly
certain
its

fact,

necessarily

relation

to

philo-

sophy, and

within

legitimate
facts

scope.

But mysticism, unlike other

philosophy has
to

of
is

which
not

take

account,

normal function of the human

is

faculties,
It

and
can
of

not open

to

direct

investigation.

only

be dealt

with

through

the

reports

mystical mystical
is

contemplatives,
states
is

and

no analysis of
except

attainable

such as
ill-

furnished

by the mystics themselves,

equipped as they most frequently are for such

a purpose.
parallel

Mysticism
in

is

indeed the exact

its

of sensation,

immediate and
is is

intuitive character.

But whereas sensation

common

to

mankind, and the investigator

177

178

MYSTICISM
it

therefore able to consider

directly, as repre-

sented in his
indirectly,

own

consciousness, as well as

through the reports of other people,

is

as to mysticism he
latter

mostly restricted to the

method, and to a number of examples

which, as compared with examples of sensation,

is

exceedingly small.

Thus though

the nature
to be

of mystical experience

seems naturally
under

as legitimate a subject of enquiry as that of

sensation,

the

limitations

which

the

enquiry has to be pursued are so great as

practically to destroy the parallelism altogether.

And

seeing

how

little

it

has so

far

been

possible to discover in regard to the nature

and cause of sensation,

paratively

in

spite

of the comthe

numerous existing
it

facilities for

purpose,

is

not surprising that philosophy

little

should have

or

nothing

to

say about
a

mysticism, which offers so

field for

much narrower

investigation.
writers,

Those

therefore,

who have

con-

sidered mysticism of the true or supernatural

kind from the point of view of philosophy,

have probably acted wisely

consider
the

in

declining

to

transcendental

aspects

of

the

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

matter,

179

and confining themselves

to conjectural

expositions of the psychological processes in-

volved

in

mystical states.

Mystical theology

has, however,

one point of contact with philobearing

sophy,
offering

in

its
it

on

natural

theology,
verifica-

as

does an experimental

tion of the rational proof of the existence of

God, and of the

"substantial"

human

soul.

Such experimental evidence has been thought

by some
to

be

furnished
;

by the
but
it

doubtful
fairly

phenomena
able

of spiritualism

may

be contended that the very much

evidence of
mysticism
is

less question-

considerably

more worthy of acceptance.

It

must be added, however, that even

were more open
it

if

mysticism
than
it

to
in
its

investigation

is,

would

still

essence be

beyond the purview of philosophy, as belonging exclusively to a region of which philosophy

itself

must
"

stop

short.

The

" science

of

causes

cannot deal inductively with the First

cattsa ca2isarum,

Cause

the
all

but must be conits

tent in
in

cases with noting

effects

and

regard to that particular effect on the

human

soul

which constitutes mysticism, philosophy


i8o

MYSTICISM
little

can do

more than barely recognise

the
existence
of

its

occurrence.^
refuses
to

That species of philosophy which

accept
First

tran-

scendental
already

Cause cannot, as we have

mysticism

seen,

treat

on

its

tran-

scendental side as anything but a delusion

relying, as
it

must, in the absence of direct evi-

dence, merely on a negative presupposition.

With
on

religion,

however,
being

mysticism stands
itself

common
all

ground,

form of

religious experience.

Its object is

indeed the

object of
it

religion, properly so called, since

is

nothing less than the actual vision of God,

is

which

the final consummation of

all

that

is

sought by religious practices of any kind.

But

^ Such attempts as that of M. R^cejac to formulate a purely metaphysical theory of mysticism necessarily part company with the Christian, and even with the Theistic principles on which true mysticism is based. From their point of view, the "universal mysticism" consists of " tous les moyens de transcendance qui tendent h egaler I'experience aux desirs de la hence it is required "que la charactere symbolique liberte " de nos rapports avec I'Absolu serait franchement reconnu, c'est-k-dire qu'on renonce h I'intuition directe d'une essence (Recejac, Fondetnents de la divine, universelle et infinie." A tendency in the Connaissance Mystique^ pp. 4, 5 184.) same direction appears in Professor Inge's Personal Idealism and Mysticism^ where mysticism is described as "a type of
; ;

religion
finds
its

which puts the inner light above human authority, and sacraments everywhere."

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY
whereas
mysticism attains

AND RELIGION
in

i8r

this

world to

some degree of immediate and experimental

knowledge of God,
this final

religion in general remits

reward to a future state of existence.

is

Here God

known

indirectly, or theoretically,
;

through His works

His direct influence

is

perceived in the action of divine grace, and

His supernatural presence

faith in

is

recognised by

the transubstantiated elements of the

Eucharist.

But the
is

direct intuition of the divine

being

itself

not

among
consider

the
its

advantages

guaranteed by the Church to

members.
frequently

We

have

thus

to

the

propounded question of the

mysticism
religion

relation

between

and what
is,

is

called

"institutional"

that

a religion

the

doctrines

of

which are defined, and of which the practices

are rigorously enjoined by a supreme

and unoften

questionable

authority.
to
;

The two

are

regarded as being,

a very great

extent,

mutually incompatible
ticism
is,

the tendency of mysto to

it

is

thought,

depreciate

the
the

external
doctrines
authority.

obligations,

and
by

disregard

imposed

organised

religious

i82

MYSTICISM
said

Something has already been

point.

on

this

The

alleged opposition between mys-

ticism

and scholasticism (which deals mainly

with the doctrine and discipline imposed by

external authority) has been seen to be purely

imaginary.
said of the
practical

The same may undoubtedly be

alleged antagonism between
the

system of the Church, which follows

certain prescribed

methods

in

regard both to
life

the obligatory elements of Christian

and
and

those

left

free
life

to

individual

devotion,

the inner

of contemplation, for which no

rules are laid

down beyond such

as

may be
of pious

drawn from the recorded

persons.

practices

The
fold

fact

is

that

human

nature has a twoset

aspect,

and consequently a twofold

the one hand,

of needs.

On

man
exist,

is

a "social
less

animal," and
lead

cannot

even
life,

much
;

a truly

human
in

in
is

isolation

some

kind of social organisation

sity for him,

an absolute neces-

regard alike to his material,

intellectual

and moral requirements.

life

On

the

other hand, the

of every
is

man

is

individual
re-

and personal;

he

self-conscious and

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY
flective,

AND RELIGION
:

183

as well as active and responsive

the

social

activities

necessary to

human

life

do

not exhaust the

ality,"

"abysmal depths of personin

which nevertheless can only exist

environment.
is

social

The
full

ideally perfect con-

dition

one

in

which

play

is

allowed to
social

both sides of

human

nature

in

which

needs are

fully

provided

for,

and individual

thought, feeling and enterprise are

hampered
needed

by no

restrictions

but

such

as

are

for their

due protection.

Probably no State
exist,

has ever existed, or can ever

this

in
;

which
in

perfect

balance

is

maintained
restrictions

the

Church,

however,

the

imposed,
activities

deeply as they affect the external

of the individual,
are

merely the necessary

safeguards of spiritual liberty.

Thus
in

in

the Church, as to a great extent

the State, compliance with the obligations

imposed

by external

authority

is

no

more

than the necessary condition of the exercise

of personal liberty.

Freedom

for the citizen

life

implies a condition of things in which his

and property are duly protected, not one

which he
is

in

left

entirely to shift for himself;

i84

MYSTICISM
in like
is

and

manner, religious or

spiritual freein

dom

only possible under circumstances

which the fundamental needs of

are supplied, and
its

spiritual life

energies rightly directed.

A
he

man may
is

not,

in

a rightly ordered State,

preach

sedition

or

commit
to

suicide

that

is,

not allowed

violate

the

conditions

under which alone he and his neighbours can

freely exercise their natural powers.

In like

manner, the Church forbids her members to

neglect the

means of
to

grace, or to teach heresy.

life,

But freedom
natural,
in
is

enjoy

natural or super-

not interfered with, but safeguarded

each case.
It
is,

indeed,

undeniable
is

that

one aspect
unduly

of

human

nature
at

from time
other's

to time

emphasised

the

expense.

The
un-

"Friends of God" and the disciples of Molinos,

like

the

many forms

of

Protestantism,

doubtedly were led by their principles to make

light of Christian

institutions

and of Church

authority.

On

the other hand, a too exclusive

attention to the external

and

legislative aspects

of religion frequently produces such an intellectual aridity as

may be observed

in the later

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

185

and degenerate
istic

scholastics, or such a materialrise

formalism as gave

to

the religious

notions upheld by Febronius and put in practice

by the Emperor Joseph

or to the extravagant

ideas of the spiritual authority of the

State

which were entertained by Hobbes.

But

it

should be observed that this depreciation of

external obligations has never resulted simply

from mysticism, rightly understood, but only

from speculative principles alleged to be de-

duced from mysticism, and wrongly

with
it.

identified

True mysticism cannot come

Church ordinances of any
it

into

collision with

kind,

simply because
sphere
;

belongs to a totally different

subject

it

can no more be the

than
the

of

Church
or ear

legislation
for

height,

weight

music of the population can be

the subject of State decrees.

It
is,

unfortunately,

within

the

power of
and

human
cised

beings

power too frequently exerFaith

to separate things that are naturally

properly
spirit

united.

and

charity,

public
for
all

and

domestic

affection,

respect

authority

and individual
virtues.

enterprise,

are

complementary

But

in

point of fact

i86
faith

MYSTICISM
exists

without charity, public

men

are

not invariably models of domestic virtue, nor

are the most enterprising spirits always the

most
to

law-abiding.

But
is

it

would be absurd

maintain that there

any natural opposi-

tion

between the two factors of any of these

;

pairs of excellences

and

it

is

really not less

absurd

to

imagine any natural

spiritual

antagonism
authority, or

between mysticism and

that they can be mutually opposed otherwise

than by the practical inadequacy due to the

infirmities of
It
is

human

nature.

has been abundantly shown that mysticism

a true sense different in kind, and not
in degree,

in

merely

from prayer and contemplaorder.

tion of the

natural

But

it

does not
to be

by any means follow that the two are

regarded as radically
independent.
connection
distinct,

or as mutually there
is

On

the

contrary,

between

them

which

may
it

per-

haps be characterised as that of continuity,

as distinct from identity.

The

soul,

will

be

remembered,

has,

ordinarily

speaking, to go
life

through a preparation before the

cal

of mysti;

contemplation can be entered upon

and

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY
this preparation is
in

AND RELIGION

187

nothing more than exercise

the lower, or

more commonplace methods

piety.

of

devotion

and

All

religion

is

an

approach to God, and mysticism represents,

not a short cut, but an advanced stage of the

journey

the

more advanced the

or

stage,

the

more frequent
condition.

constant
traveller

is

the

mystical

The

sets

out

on

his

journey with no sight of his distant goal before

him

he knows only that he

is

on the right
in the land-

road,

and he recognises features

scape which others

who have made

the journey

before him have noted, and which assure

him
it

of his progress in the right direction.

is

But

not

till

he nears

his journey's

end that he

catches

sight,

indistinctly

at
is

first

and
for.

inter-

mittently, of the city he

bound

The

distant

towers and spires grow clearer and

clearer as he approaches

them

they are seen

no longer
ing at

in

glimpses, vanishing and reappearturns

the

of

the

road

till

at

last
full

the whole mass of buildings comes into

sight,

even while some distance remains to

before
the

be

travelled

pilgrim

can

pass

through the gates and take his well-earned

i88
rest.
It
is

MYSTICISM
one thing
to see the finger-posts

and
side,

to

observe the landmarks by the wayto see the city stand-

and quite another

ing graceful and sunlit, like a welcoming host,

at the road's end.

Yet both are incidents of

cannot

the

same journey, and the end

between the two
in

be

reached without the beginning.

The

relation

states

may be
its

very clearly seen

the

Imitation of Christ
vast

a book which probably owes much of

popularity
to
its

constant recurrence

to

the

elementary duties of religion and morality, and

its

insistence

on the necessity of
the
prerequisite
states.

their per-

formance
exalted

as

of

the

more
seen,

spiritual

The

"purgative,"

" illuminative "

and

" unitive "

ways are

so to speak, together, aspects

or

and are dealt with as

of the Christian
life

constituents

as a whole, to the completeness of which

three

all

are

necessary,

and,

in

different

ways,

of

equal

importance.
are

The

purely

mystical

passages

comparatively

few

and short

and the abundance of practical directions the

book
contains

has

sometimes

caused

its

mystical character to be entirely overlooked

MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY

AND RELIGION
is

189

This disproportion, however,

ently
to

quite

suffici-

be accounted
is

for

by the character

of the work, which

spiritual
life

that of a directory of

in

general,

and not a

scientific
it.

treatise

on any particular department of

In such a book attempts at describing the in-

describable

phenomena of mysticism would

have been out of place, whereas
details

obviously
the

practical

of

the

lower and prerequire minute

liminary states admit

explanation.
is

of and

But the tone of the whole book

mystical,

and the most commonplace duties

and the most humiliating strivings with temptation are in a

manner illuminated and

in point of fact,

glorified

by the
tend.

brilliancy

of the result to which they

Thus,

the higher and

the lower elements, the mystical and the nonmystical,

the purgative,

the illuminative

and
ex-

the unitive, are blended in actual

perience.

human

The

proportion
;

may

indeed
the

vary

almost indefinitely

with some,

mystical

consciousness would seem to be almost habitual,

and with others a rare and exceptional

But
in greater or less degree, all the

privilege.

elements

190

MYSTICISM
life

of Christian

are present in

its

highest and

most perfect form.

From
to

this

we

are led to the consideration

of a question of very great interest, in regard

which a speculative opinion

may be

con-

sidered allowable for which no direct evidence

can be adduced.

Since the higher walks of

spirituality are thus inevitably interpenetrated

by the lower, and since no height of mystical

contemplation
templative
will

wholly emancipate the conthe

from

humble
is

necessities
it

of

penance and of temptation,

to

not possible

suppose

that

the

lower

life

need

not

wholly exclude the higher, but however dry

and commonplace and, generally speaking, unspiritual

it

may
in

be,

may

nevertheless

be

enriched

by

some occasional
the
It
is

and
of

transient

participation
perfect state?

privilege

the
all

more

admitted by
life

spiritual

writers that the mystical

does not exclude

the vicissitudes of the ordinary or non-mystical

states.^

Little

or

nothing

is

said

by them,

E.g..,

Suarez,

De

Orat.,
i.,

Mystical Theology, ch.

V.

i. 2. ii and cf. Devine, Manual of and Macarius, Christian Perfection,

;

13.

14-


MYSTICISM, PHILOSOPHY

AND RELIGION

191

however, as to the possibility of some measure

of the
of

higher

life

entering into the lower

some passing
as a whole,

foretaste of " infused " con-

templation being granted to those whose lives

are,

by no means of the contemit

plative order.

Yet

seems natural
If in

to

suppose
is

that

such

may be

the case.

there

no

incongruity in the
life

recurrence

the unitive

of the distinctive features of the purgative,

there

can hardly

be

any

in

the

occasional
;

occurrence of the

converse process
to

and

it

seems not unreasonable

suppose that such

the

a largesse of spiritual favours, of which

best are unworthy,

may be

occasionally granted
It
it

even

to the

most undeserving.

can hardly
is

be denied that an aspect which

to distinguish

difficult

from that of genuine mysticism

seems

at times to belong to

some of the inward

experiences of ordinary persons

who have no

thought or
life.

knowledge of the contemplative

states of consciousness are, indeed,

Such

too

transitory

and elusive

to
;

be judged of

with any degree of certainty

that they are really no

and

it

may be
way

more than the product

Proof
is

of purely natural feeling.

either

192

MYSTICISM
But
it

out of the question.

is

at

least

an

allowable opinion that the "mystical element

in

religion "

may extend beyond

alone
;

the

limits

within

which

evidence

of any

direct

kind

is

attainable

and such an opinion must

religious experience
its

unquestionably be nearer the truth than that

which would equalise

all

by denying

to

mysticism

genuinely super-

natural character.

CHAPTER
DIONYSIUS

XI

The

authority

of the

Dionysian writings

is

for us earlier

(whatever

may have been

critical

the case in

and

less

times) derived rather

from the use made of them to express the

received doctrines of the Church

than from
the

any

view
or
is

that

may be
of

entertained of

identity

position

the

writer.
first

Their
received

history

a curious one.
at

They

public

notice
in

a conference held at Conyear 533

stantinople

the

between repre-

sentatives of orthodoxy under Hypatius, Bishop of Ephesus,

called after

and those of a Monophysite

sect

and headed by Severus, patriarch

of Antioch.

The
the
as

Severians at this conference

writings

appealed

to

of Dionysius

the

Areopagite

upholding

the

Monophysite
N

doctrine, but their quotations

193

were disallowed

194

MYSTICISM
as

by Hypatius
that

probably

spurious.

From

time forward an increasing importance

to the

was attached
by

works attributed to the

Areopagite, not only by heretical writers, but

also

orthodox

Catholics,

among whom
patriarch

may be

mentioned
in

Eulogius,

of

Alexandria

580,

Pope Gregory the Great,

and Dionysius was

and Maximus, the author of lengthy scholia

on the Dionysian books
;

referred to by the Lateran Council in 649 as

an authority against Monothelitism.

introduction

On

the
into

of

the Dionysian

writings

France

in

the eighth century the idea arose

that the author

was

identical with St

Denys

of France;
at
Paris,

and Hilduin, abbot of St Denys

subsequently did

much

to

promote

the authority of the Areopagite by

this

means
it

of

patriotic

identification,

which,

need
value

hardly

be

said,

has

no

historical

whatever.

The works

of Dionysius were

first

translater

lated into Latin

by Hilduin, and somewhat

;

by John Scotus Eriugena

other translations

were made by John Sarrazenus, Grosseteste,

Thomas

Vercellensis,

Ambrosius

Camaldu-


DIONYSIUS
lensis, Marsilio

195

Ficino and Balthasar Corderius.

Commentaries were written by Hugo of St

Victor, Albertus

Magnus, St Thomas Aquinas

;

and Dionysius the Carthusian

scholastics
sius

and the great

Dionysius

make

copious references to Diony-

notably St Thomas Aquinas.

called,

was
the

with some pardonable exaggeration,

of

founder

the

Scholastic

method, by
list

Corderius,

who

gives an imposing
to him. to

of St

Thomas's references

Doubts began once more

of the Renaissance period
raised

be

cast

on

the genuineness of the Dionysiaca by writers

:

the question was

for

by Lorenzo
of

Valla,

and was

long a

subject

vehement controversy, which can

yet
to

hardly

be said even

be at an end,

though the opinion of the most recent and

most competent scholars

side.

is

on the negative
side

The arguments on each

summarised as follows
style
is
:

may be

briefly
1.

The

not that of the sub-apostolic

age, but closely resembles that of later

platonist writers.
2.

Neo-

The correspondence

of ideas between the

works of Dionysius and those of Neoplatonist

196

MYSTICISM
more
especially

authors,
close
;

of

Proclus,

is

very

moreover, extracts from Proclus's work

De

Subsistentia

Malorum

appear, as has been

pointed

out

by Professors

Stiglmayer

and

Koch,

in the treatise of Dionysius,

De

Divinis

Nominibus.
3.

No

mention

is

made

of the Dionysian

writings by any author earlier than the sixth

century: nor are they mentioned by Eusebius or

St Jerome
authors.

in their

catalogues of ecclesiastical
in

The

writings

which they were

thought to have been referred to before that

period have

now been proved

date.
rites

to be of

much

more recent
4.

Certain

and ceremonies are menthe contemporaries

tioned as customary in the writer's time which

were unknown
Areopagite.
tion of

to

of the

Other anachronisms are the men;

monks

the use of the word

its

v-n-oaTaaKi

(substantia) in

later or

post-Nicene sense
apxato.

a reference to ecclesiastical tradition as

7rapa5o(Tf9="the ancient tradition"; a quotation

of the well-known

phrase of St Clement of
crucified" [Div.

Rome,

"My

love

is

Nom.,

4),

though St Clement's martyrdom did not take

DIONYSIUS
place
till

197

after the death

of St Timothy, to

whom
cated,

the

Treatise de Div.
is,

Nom.

is

dedi-

and who

moreover, addressed by the

"

author as 7rar9=" child

at

a supposed

time

when

the designation could scarcely have been

appropriate.

None of these arguments were altogether unknown to antiquity, though some of them
have been considerably strengthened by modern
research.

They were
who
fairly

replied

to

at

some
con-

length by Monsignor (afterwards Archbishop)

Darboy,

reproduces

all

the
in

siderations that

have been adduced

favour

of the Dionysian authorship from St

Maximus
is

onwards.
I.

It

is

contended

that

the

style

due
the

to

the

early

philosophical

education

of

Areopaglte, which would naturally have imparted to

many of the characteristics Neoplatonism it may fairly be considered

it
;

of
as

agreeing
author.

with

the

presumed

date

of

the

The correspondences between the Dionysiaca and Proclus may be due to plagi2
3.

&

arism on the part of the Neoplatonist, rather

igS

MYSTICISM
Georgius Pachymeres,
opinion,

than of the Areopagite.

when advancing
the

this

suggests

that

Dionysian works

may have been

philosophers

sup-

pressed

by the Athenian

who

borrowed from them

4.

for their

own

purposes.

The anachronisms
fairly certain

found in

Dionysius

are capable of being explained away.

it

Thus,

is

that the essentials of such

ceremonies as the blessing of the baptismal

water, triple immersion
rites for
in

at

baptism, and

the

blessing the

Holy

Oils were in use

times,
;

Apostolic or sub-Apostolic

though
strange

not then

committed to writing

the

ceremony of anointing the dead, mentioned

by Dionysius,
is

found to have been a Jewish,

and therefore probably also an early Christian

custom.

stood to
class

Monks [therapeutc?^ need not be undermean coenobites or hermits, and a

called

so

certainly

existed
in
is

in
its

Philo's
earlier

time.

The

use of "

uTroo-Tao-/?,"

and untechnical sense of "person,"

from Heb.
sense
i.,

paralleled

and the word

is

used

in the

same

by Alexander, the

predecessor of St

Athanasius.
rtiay

The

quotation from St Ignatius

in

have been added

a recension by the

DIONYSIUS
author, or

199

may have been

in 2

the

work of a

copyist;

and a

parallel to the

phrase
ii.

" apxdia irapaSocn^ "

14.
"

may be found
nation of St

Thess.

The
is

desig-

Timothy

as " child

justified

by an elaborate calculation of the comparative

ages of Dionysius and St Timothy.

On

the whole,

it

may be
is

held that though

not absolutely disis

the Dionysian authorship

proved, the balance of probability

against
it.

strongly

Who

the writer,

if

not Dionysius,
lived,

may have
it

been, or

when he may have

is

quite impossible to say.

;

Various dates

have been suggested

but the use apparently

made
to

of the writings of Proclus

earlier than 462.

seem

to point

one not

Hipler's theory

that the author

was a theologian of the fourth

by a misunder-

century whose works were,

standing, attributed to Dionysius, found

some

favour at the time of

its

production (1861),
It
is

but

is

now

generally rejected.

indeed

difficult to

suppose that the direct statements

of the author to the effect that he had been

a disciple of St

Paul,

that

he remembered

the eclipse at the time of the Crucifixion, and

that he

was present with St Peter and

his

200

MYSTICISM

Otherwise

unknown master Hierotheus

the

at the

interment of

Blessed Virgin,

are

made

with any other purpose than that of supporting his identity, whether real or assumed.
It is

of

some

practical importance to conis

sider

whether the value of the books

in

any

way

discredited by the unauthentic character

at least great probability be

which may with

attributed to them.

In the
fair to

first

place,

it

would probably be un-

regard them simply as a forgery.

As

Monsignor Darboy has remarked, no possible

motive can be assigned
kind.
for a forgery of this
like

They

could

hardly,

the forgeries

of Chatterton, have been intended to reflect

credit

on their supposed discoverer, or

;

to

be

a source of profit to him

that

and the supposition

intended to give
is

they

may have been

support to the cause of orthodoxy

hardly
is

consistent with their subject-matter, which

not directly concerned with any of the controversies belonging to the time of their appear-

ance.

Moreover, though perfectly orthodox,

first

they were
to

quoted

in

favour of heretics,
real support.
It

whose views they gave no

DIONYSIUS

20I

must be remembered that our present ideas of

literary propriety

had by no means obtained

sixth

acceptance

in

the

century
fiction

and our
a vehicle

modern device of making

for
historical,

philosophical

or

theological

speculation

had

not

yet

been

discovered.

Romances were, however, not unknown, and

pseudonymous works of a
logical
historical
in

and theonumbers.

character
fairly

existed

some

We
seem

may
to

consider that the Dionysiaca \

combined both characters.

have intended

The

author would
Christian

to give the

rendering of the philosophico-religious system

evolved by Plotinus and later Neoplatonism

and he may have sought

for

to gain

a hearing

his

views by publishing them under the

name
both

of one
in

who had

held positions of honour

in the Christian world.

the

Pagan and

For the sake of

verisimilitude the appropriate

contemporary references were rather crudely

inserted.

Whatever, therefore, we may think

of the artistic character of the work,

we have

no more right
forgery than to

to fix

upon

it

the moral stigma of

condemn on similar grounds such

works as Waverley, John Inglesant or En Route./-

202

MYSTICISM
in

But

any

case, the

work

is

of a character

which cannot be
attributed
historical

affected

by the authority
for

to

its

author,

as,

example, a

work professedly written by a con-

temporary would be.

must stand on

their

The Dionysian books own merits, no matter

for all

by

whom
all

or at what time they were written

is

what they say

true or false

times

and
not

persons.
their

Their authority,
as
in

for us, lies

in

authenticity,
writer,

the the

works
fact

of

any particular

but

that

they have been adopted by the Church as

truly representative of certain phases of her

doctrine,
it
:

and as containing nothing contrary

in fact, the
list

to

it

is,

accumulated authority of

the long

of approved writers
in

whose work

has been based on, or

accordance with them.

This

is

more

especially the case with the

letters con-

Mystical Theology and the three

nected with
relations
it.

These deal simply with the

between God, the world of created

things,

and the soul of man.

They depend
of
all

on no references

to persons, places or events,

but appeal to that perception

truth of things which
is

the

inner

alike in

ages and

DIONYSIUS
all

203
is

countries,

and which probably no man

altogether without.

The
the

other extant works of Dionysius are

Celestial Hierarchy,

Divine Names, the

the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy,

and

six

letters

on

different subjects, in addition to the three

here

translated.

The
which
all

Treatise

of Divine

Names
fulness

deals with the unique, transcendental

nature of God,
creates

of
is

its

superabundant
to

that

external

God,
proper

and gives

to each

order of being

its

degree of the divine likeness, and

its

function

of communicating a share of the divine gifts

to the order
to

below

it.

It is

hardly necessary

remark that we have here the Christian

and Gnostic doctrines of emanation,
"

rendering of the Neoplatonic "one," the Neoplatonic

and the Gnostic

on
in

Pleroma," or fulness, touched

like

manner somewhat

the

Dion(St
ii.

ysian treatment by St John and St Paul.

John
In

i.

Eph.

i.

23

iii.

19

Coloss.

i.

19

9.)

the

other
its

two

treatises,

the

Angelic
vari-

hierarchy in

ninefold choirs,

and the

ous

orders

of

the

Church,

from bishop to

penitent, are described.

These are the more

204

MYSTICISM
and important examples of the creative

Striking

energy that flows out from the one personal

God, as the primeval Creator, and as the

carnate

in-

Head

of the Church.

In these books

God

is

considered as in a true sense immanent

in the creatures

which

He

nevertheless trans-

cends
is

as in the Mystical Theology, the necessity

insisted

on of rising above the created mani-

festations of the divine

for those

power and

excellence,

who

desire to obtain

some knowledge
both

of the Creator as

He
of

is

in

Himself.
in

The
in

influence

Neoplatonism,
is

terminology and method,

obvious enough

the Dionysian writings, and through

them

has directly or indirectly passed into nearly

all

the mystical literature of subsequent ages.

But, as

we have

already seen, the pantheistic

doctrines of Neoplatonism are entirely rejected

by Dionysius, and are

indeed

incompatible

with his view of creation and of the relations,

actual or possible,
It

between God and the

soul.

may

therefore be

plausibly surmised that

the main object of the author was to present the

orthodox Christian
questions

view of the funda-

mental

with

which

all

philosophy

DIONYSIUS
and theology has
to deal, in the to the

90s

form which

would be most acceptable

which was
In

contemporary

philosophic mind, and in terms of that

mode
at

of thought

" in

the

air "

the

time of writing.
totelianism

much

the

same way Arisby St Thomas,

last
fifty

was

christianised

and many apologetic works of the

years have sought to express the concepts of

Christian

theology in terms

of

the

current

physiology and psychology.^

Dionysius refers to several works of his

own
to

which seem

to

have

remained entirely un-

known, and which are by some thought

have
had

no

real

existence.

These

are

Theological Outlines^ Sacred

Theology,

Hymns, Symbolic
Intellect.
is

The Just Judgment of God, The Soul,

Objects of Sense

and The

and

full

account of the Dionysian writings

in the

given by Professor Stiglmayer

Catholic Encyclopcsdia
to
;

American
is

a less recent one

be found

in

the

Dictionary of Christian

Biography.
1

The

available
to

evidence for the

show
all

"These works were intended

in all ages, is to

that

all

which the

Platonic school had gathered of truth in

parts of the world

and

be found

in a far

form

in Christianity."
(tr.

Gorres,

purer and more complete Mystique Divine Naturelle et

i.

Diabolique

par Ste Foix),

vol.

p. 67.

2o6

MYSTICISM
is

authorship

discussed

in

Darboy's CEuvres

de St Denys,
Colet's

Lupton's introduction to

Dean

Paraphrase of Dionysius, and Barden-

hewer's Patrologie.

Modern
in

translations

have been
(1823)

published

German by Engelhart

and
in

Storf

[Kirchliche Hierarchie,

1877),

and

French

by Darboy (CEuvres de St Denys, 1845) ^^^ Dulac (1865). In English a translation was
completed
a
in

1895 by Rev.
of

J.

Parker;

and

translation
in

the

Mystical Theology was

in

published

London

1653,

in

a volume

of sermons by John Everard, D.D., entitled

Some Gospel Treasures opened: or the Holiest w hereunto is added the of all Unv ailing

Mystical Divinity of Dionysius the Areopagite,

spoken of Acts
xvii.

34.

The most
edition

recent,

and the most accessible

of Dionysius
is

of the
S.J.,

text

that

of

Corderius,

published at Antwerp 1634,

and frequently reprinted, together with Latin

translation, translator's notes, the

commentary
included

of St

Maximus and same meres the

;

the paraphrase of Pachyedition

is

in

Migne's Greek Patrology.

CHAPTER
AREOPAGITE

XII

THE MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS THE

Chapter
IVMi
Summary.
to
the

Divine Darkness

is

(i) Address to the Blessed Trinity.

mystical knowledge
is

(2)

Those
distin-

whom

open must be
still

guished from those

who do

not realise the transcen-

dental character of the divine nature, and

more,

from those who liken the Creator to the creature in

idolatry
:

whereas
are
to

in

God

all

qualities

of created
at

existence the

be found
qualities
is

eminenter

though
but
all

same time such cated of Him, who

other words,

cannot
all

strictly

be prediIn
the

above

created things.

God

transcends creation,

perfections of creatures are derived from

constitute

a certain likeness to

Him.
i.e.,

Him, and Hence the

Gospel

is

both great and small

it

declares the

manifold variety and

complexity of God's works, but

His own absolute simplicity and unity. (3) Therefore those who would see God must pass beyond the limits of creation, into a state which is beyond human knowledge and light and speech, and must therefore,
from the point of view of created beings, be called
207

2o8

MYSTICISM
one of ignorance, darkness and silence;
as

Moses

was commanded to separate himself from all impurity before entering the Divine presence, so those who would now enter that presence must separate themselves

from

all

created things.

Most
ledge,

exalted Trinity, Divinity above

all

know-

whose goodness passes understanding,

;

who

dost guide Christians to divine wisdom

direct our
oracles,

way

to the

summit of thy mystical

most
lucid

most

incomprehensible,

and most exalted, where the simple and pure

and unchangeable mysteries of theology are

revealed in the darkness, clearer than
of
that
;

light,

silence

in

which secret

things are

hidden

a darkness that shines brighter than

light, that invisibly

and intangibly illuminates

Let
be

with splendours of inconceivable beauty the

soul that sees not.
this

my

prayer

/but do
senses,

thou,

dear Timothy, diligently giving

leave the

thyself to

mystical contemplation,

and

the

operations of

the

intellect,

and

all

things

sensible

and

intelligible,

and
that

things that are and things that are not,

thou mayest

rise as

may be

lawful for thee,

by ways above knowledge

to union with

Him

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

209

who

is

above

all

knowledge and

all

being
thou

that in freedom and

abandonment of

all,

mayest

be borne,

through pure, entire and

all

absolute abstraction of thyself from

into

things,

the supernatural

radiance of the divine

darkness.

^
I

But see that none of the uninitiated^ hear

these
things.

mean those who

supernatural

cleave

to

created things, and suppose not that anything

exists
after
;

manner,

above

nature

but imagine that by their

understanding they

own natural know Him who has made

But
if

darkness His secret place.

the principles

of the divine mysteries are above the under^

The

Uninitiated.
first,

The

two classes of uninitiated here

re-

ferred to are,

the less spiritually

minded among

Christians,

and secondly, the heathen.

first
:

Corderius considers that by the non-Christian philosophers rather than Christians of any kind are intended but the Neoplatonist contemplatives could hardly be described in the terms here used, and they only could

have been the "philosophers" in question. The distinction drawn by some between the words by which the two classes are designated (d^i5i;Tot = not fully instructed, and dyuyo-Tat = not formally admitted) is perhaps fanciful, but is probably the true explanation of the classification intended. The impotence of
the natural faculties in mystical contemplation
is

here stated as

first

principle of mystical theology.

ii.

Cross, Asc.
at its far

"It
all

is

St John of the clearly necessary for the soul aiming

to

Compare
be

own supernatural transformation

that relates to
its

in

darkness and

removed from

natural condition."

2IO

MYSTICISM
is

standing of these, what

yet more untaught,

to

be said of those

who
in

call

the absolute First

Cause of

all

after the lowest things in nature,

and say that

He

is

no way above the images

after various

which they fashion

designs

of

whom they should Him as the cause

yet

declare and affirm that in

of

all,

is

all

that

may be
;

predicated positively of created things

while

they

might

with

more propriety deny

not contrary

these predicates to Him, as being far above

all
;

holding that here denial

is

to affirmation, since

He

is

infinitely
all

above

all

notion of deprivation, and above

tion

affirma-

and negation.
the
is

Thus

divine

Bartholomew says that

little,

Theology

both
is

much and very

and

that the Gospel

short.

great and ample, and yet

is,
I

His sublime meaning

all

think, that

the beneficent cause of

things says much,

silent,

and says

little,

and

is

altogether

as

having neither (human) speech nor (human)

understanding, since
all

He

is

essentially

above

created things, and manifests Himself un-

veiled,

and as

He

truly
is

is

to those only

who

pass beyond

all

that

either pure or impure,

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

211
holy-

who

rise

above the highest height of

all

things,

who abandon

divine light and sound

into

and heavenly speech, and are absorbed

that

darkness where,
truly
is,

as the

Scripture says,
things.

He
It

who

is

beyond

all

was not without a deeper meaning that

the divine

Moses was commanded

and
after all

first

to be

himself purified, and then to separate himself

from the impure

tion heard

this purifica-

many

voices of trumpets, and

saw

many

lights

shedding manifold pure beams

and that he was thereafter separated from the

multitude and together with the elect priests

came
of

to

the

height of the

divine

ascents.

Yet hereby he did not

attain to the presence

God
was.

Himself; he saw not

Him

(for

He
the

cannot be looked upon), but the place where

He

This,

think,

signifies

that

divinest

and

most

exalted
it

of

visible

and

intelligible things are, as

were, suggestions

of those that are immediately beneath

Him
the

who
ing,
is

is

above

all,

whereby

is

indicated

presence of

Him who
it

passes

all

understand-

and stands, as

were, in that spot which

conceived by the intellect as the highest

2T2

MYSTICISM
;

of His holy places

free
all

then that they

all

who

are

and untrammelled by

that

is

seen and

that sees enter into the true mystical dark-

ness

of ignorance,
is

whence
and

all

perception of

understanding

excluded, and abide in that

invisible,
is

which

is

intangible
in

being wholly
all

absorbed

Him who

beyond

things,

and belong no more

higher
part

to any, neither to

them-

selves nor to another, but are united in their

to

Him who
after

is

wholly

unin-

telligible,

and whom, by understanding nothing,

a

they understand
intelligence.

manner above

all

Chapter
How
to be

united with,

cause of all things

and lo give praise to Him who and above all

is the

Summary.

Therefore

God

is

only to

be known
all

in

a
is

supernatural manner, by abstraction from

natural.
for the

that

Natural sight and knowledge are useless

purpose of seeing and knowing what

:

is

above
In

nature

the

supernatural can only be perceived in

entire separation

from

all

that

is

merely natural.

this sense, natural light

the vision

darkness
created
there

"

and knowledge merely obscure we can see God only in a *' luminous which is darkness because of the absence of
luminous because of the divine presence

light,

tion of God,
(in

made known. As, in order to form our concepwe add together the divine attributes
theology), so
(in

speculative

mystical

theology)

we must

subtract them, from the lowest to the highest,

in order to arrive at the essential nature of

God.^

We
^

desire

to abide

in

this

most luminous

darkness, and without sight or knowledge, to

The Divine Attributes.
goodness,
etc.,

God's
human
God
is

attributes,

justice,

are

such as wisdom, conceptions in themselves.

We
sum

know them

as they are manifested in the works of God, not

not, so to speak, the

as they exist in Himself.

mere

of His attributes, but the simple divine essence, which in

213

214

MYSTICISM
is

see that which

above sight or knowledge,

fact
is

by means of that very

and know
not.

that

we

see not

For

this

truly to see

and
in

know, to praise

Him who
;

is

above nature

a manner above nature, by the abstraction of

all

that

is

natural

as those

who would make

all

a statue out of the natural stone abstract

the

surrounding material which hinders

the

sight of the shape lying concealed within, and

by that abstraction alone

beauty.^
It
is

reveal
I

its

hidden

needful,

as

think,

to

make

this abstraction in
different aspects is

a manner precisely opposite

each of the divine attributes. Thus we mercy, etc. but we could not truly say that love, justice, mercy, etc., together constitute God. Therefore those who, in any sense, see God in Himself must contrive to go behind all those created forms in which His perfection is manifested. (See Summa Theol. I. xiii. 2, 3.) ^ This illustration is used by Plotinus (de Pulcritudine, vii.), and is adduced as an argument against the identity of the author with the Areopagite by upholders of the contrary view. It expresses very precisely the attitude of mysticism towards the immanence of God, though it cannot be pressed as an illustration of the nature of immanence. The statue is revealed by
truly say that

God

is love, justice,

abstracting superfluous material, as abstracting

all

God

is

made known by
;

not God. But the residuum, which is the statue, is of the same nature as the abstracted superfluity whereas the abstraction of what is natural leaves only the supernatural, or divine. Compare St John of the Cross, ii. 5 the "In every soul God dwells and is substantially present soul, when it has driven away from itself all that is contrary to
that
is
:
.

the Divine Will, becomes transformed in

God by

love."

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

to

215

that

in
;

which we deal with the Divine

for

attributes

we add them

together, begin-

ning with the primary ones, and passing from

them

to

the secondary, and so

to

the

last
first,

but here

we ascend from
all,

the last to the

abstracting

so as to unveil and

know

that

which
things

is is

beyond knowledge, and which

in all

hidden from our sight by that which

can be known, and so to behold that supernatural darkness which

light as
is is

hidden by

all

such

in created things.

Chapter
What is
Summary.
are
affirmed of God^

III
is

and -what

denied of Him
the

(i)

The Being
in

of

God and

Names

of

God

expounded

the

Theological Outlines and the

treatise of

Divine
things
It

according to which
sensible
Theology.^
is

Names respectively, and the method God is spoken of in terms of

treated of
in

the

Symbolical
less to

was obvious that there was

be

said of the divine nature itself than of the different

ways

in

which

speech.

it may be partially expressed in human So here we pass in contemplation of God

not merely to economy of words, but beyond speech

itself.
it

(2)

In affirming God's nature we must compare

is

with what
it

beneath

it

but in denying of
all

it

that

which
it,

is

not,

we must
case,

distinguish

things from

according to their degrees of remoteness.

in the

Thus

we add

one

and subtract

in the other.

In our Outlines of Theology

we have

declared

those matters which are properly the subject

of Positive Theology
;

in

what sense the holy what sense three

divine nature

is

one, and in
is

what

it

is

that
'

there called Paternity, and

See preceding chapter.

216

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

what
Filiation
;

217

and what the doctrine of the

;

Holy Ghost

signifies

how from
yet

the uncreated

and undivided good those blessed and perfect

Lights have come
with
forth,

remained

one

the divine nature, with each other, and

in themselves,
in

undivided by coeternal abiding

;

propagation

how

Jesus though immaterial

of
;

became material
and other things

in the truth

human nature taken from Scripture we have

same
place.

expounded

in the

Again

in

the

Book

of Divine
is

God

called

Names (we have shown) how good, how Being, how Life
to

and Wisdom and Virtue, with other names

spiritually

treatise of

Then in the Symbolical Theology we saw what

applied

Him.

names have been transferred

sensible things

to

Him

from

what

is

meant by the divine

localities,

forms and figures, limbs, instruments,

adornments, fury, anger and

grief;

drunkenness,

oaths and curses, sleep and waking, with other

modes of sacred and symbolical nomenclature.

I

think you

will

have understood why the

first
;

last

are more diffuse than the

of
theological

for

the
the

exposition

doctrine

and

explanation of the

divine

names are neces-

2i8

MYSTICISM
on symbolism.

sarily shorter than the treatise

Because

in

proportion as
is

we ascend higher
and so now,
is

our speech

contracted to the limits of our

intelligible
;

view of the purely

when we

enter that darkness which

above

understanding,

we

pass not merely into brevity

of speech, but even into absolute silence, and

\ the negation of thought.

Thus
the
it

in the

other

treatises our subject took us

from the highest

to

the

lowest,

and

in

measure of
extended

this

descent our treatment of

itself;

whereas now we

rise

from beneath to that

which
speech

is is

the

highest,

and accordingly our

in

restrained
;

proportion

to

the

height of our ascent

is

but

when our ascent

But why,

accomplished, speech will cease altogether,

into the ineffable.
in

and be absorbed
you
will ask,

do we add
the last
?

the

first

and begin
is

to abstract in

The
above

reason
all
is

that

we

affirmed that which

is

affirmation

by comparison with that which

related to
it,

most nearly
to

and were therefore compelled

affirmation
i.e.,
;

make a
^

hypothetical^

but

when

'''Hypothetical" (or comparative),

setting

one thing

below another.
thing
:

God is
is

and He

higher than the highest created to be distinguished from all forms of created
infinitely

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

119

we abstract that which is above all abstraction, we must distinguish it also from those things
which are most remote from
it.

Is not
air

God
or a

more nearly
stone
is
;

life

and goodness than

must we not deny more

fully that

He

drunken or enraged, than that

?

He
truly
:

can be

spoken of or understood
existence, high

and low

alike

yet

He

is

more

life

than a

He is more stone (comparative or hypothetical affirmation) absolutely not passionate than ineffable (comparative abstraction or negation).

Thus

in affirmation "

more"

is

predicated of

nearer to God; in negation, of what is remoter from Him In the hierarchy of creation, the higher the form (Corderius). yet in all of existence, the greater its resemblance to God there is the infinite difference of the creature from the Creator. have here the Theistic or Christian rendering of the

what

is

We

Neoplatonic and Gnostic doctrines of emanation.

; ;

Chapter IV
That

He who

is the supreme cause of all sensible things Himself no part of those things

is

Summary.
from

The
all

Creator

is

not
yet

mere
is

lifeless

and

unintelligent abstraction
>i.

He

wholly distinct

forms of sensible existence.

all
is

We

say that the cause of

all

things,

who

is

Himself above

things,
life,
^
;

neither without

being nor without

without

nor without reason nor nor

is

intelligence

He
or

a body
quality or

nor has
quantity
visible or

He
or

form

or

shape,
is

mass

tangible
;

He He

not

localised

or

is

neither sensitive
to

nor sensible

He

is

subject

no disorder

or disturbance arising from material passion

He
^

is

not subject to failure of power, or to the

universal, or
first

The supreme,
its

cause cannot be identified

of

with any of
all

effects,

or with

all

them
i.

together.

The

simplicity of the divine nature implies entire distinction from

created things.

(See

Summa
220

Theol.

3.

8.)

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

accidents
light
;

221

of

sensible
suffers

things

He
flux
;

needs no

He

no change or corruption
or

or

division,

or

privation
is

and

He

neither has nor

to the senses.

anything else that belongs

Chapter
That

V
is

He who is

the supreme cause of all intelligible things Himself no part of those things

Summary.
Jk

The
all

Creator

is

distinct

from

all

merely

intelligible

forms of existence, being neither one of

of

them nor

them

together.

Again, ascending, we say that

soul

He

is

neither

nor

intellect

nor has
;

He

imagination,

nor opinion or reason

He
is

has neither speech

nor understanding, and

neither declared nor

understood

He

is

neither

number nor

order,

nor greatness nor smallness, nor equality nor

likeness

nor unlikeness
or rest
;

He

does not stand

or
is

move
power
is

nor

is
;

nor

He
;

life

nor

time
;

nor
is

He neither has power nor He light, nor does He live, He is neither being nor age is He subject to intellectual
;

contact

He

neither knowledge nor truth,

;

nor royalty nor wisdom

He

is

neither one

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

nor unity, nor divinity, nor goodness
is
^
;

223

nor
is

He

spirit,

as

we understand

spirit

He

neither sonship
else

nor fatherhood nor anything

known

to us or to

any other beings, either

of the things that are or the things that are

not

nor does anything that

is,

know Him
is

as
it

He
is
;

is,

nor does

He know

anything that

as

He
;

has neither word nor

name nor know-

ledge

He
;

is

neither darkness nor light nor

;

truth nor error

He

can neither be affirmed

nor denied

'

nay, though

deny the things that are

neither affirm nor deny

we may affirm or beneath Him, we can

;

Him
is

for the perfect

all

and
tion,

sole

cause of

all

above

affirma-

and that which transcends

absolutely

all is

above

all
/

subtraction,
all

separate,

and beyond
^

that

is.

Neither one nor,

is

etc.

See
God

Letter IL to Caius, where the

is to be understood. His own nature i.e., as it is in itself, not in the inadequate sense in which alone it may be conceived or experienced by us. See Summa Theol. i. 3. 3, where it may be remarked that St Thomas says, not " Deus est Deltas," but "Deus est sua Deltas." 2 He can neither be affirmed nor denied. The divine nature cannot be adequately (though it may be truly) defined, either

sense

explained in which this statement

There

is

a sense in which

is

positively or negatively.

Letter
To Cuius
the

Monk
intellect not
is

Summary.
only

The
is

discursive operation of the

not

the

means by which God

but
actually

to

be

experimentally known,

precludes

such

knowledge

the

mind knows God by a

its

supernatural

operation, which transcends

natural functions.

Darkness

is
;

destroyed by

light, especially

by

much
ledge,

light

ignorance

is

destroyed by know-

especially

by much knowledge.
this

You

must understand
tion,

as
^
;

implying not priva-

but transcendence

and so you must

that

say with absolute truth,

the

ignorance

which

is

of

God

is

unknown by those who

and the knowledge of
His
transcendent
man
that

have the created

created
*

light

things,

and

Transcendence {vvepoxiKus).

The

ignorance by which

than natural knowledge it is not ignorance of the objects of natural knowledge, but the rejection of such knowledge as out of relation to the supernatural sphere
sees

God

is

more, not

less,

in

which God

is

experimentally known.

224

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

darkness
obscures
is

325
itself

obscured by any

light,
if
it

and

all

knowledge.

And
sees,

any one,
is

seeing God, knows what he sees,

by no

means God
created

that

he so

but something

and

knowable.
intellect

For

God

abides
is

above created
in

and existence, and and

such sense unknowable and non-existent

that

He

exists
all

above

all

existence

is

known above
can be

power of knowledge.

Thus
all

the knowledge of

Him who

is

above

that

known

is

for the

most part ignorance.

Letter
To
the

II

Same

Summary.

God

is

above and beyond that divinity and

goodness which we know, which we seek to imitate,

and of which we are made

source and fountain head.

partakers, as being their

How

can

He who
?

is

beyond

all

things be also

above the very principle of divinity and of

goodness

By

divinity

and goodness must

gift

be understood the essence of the

which

makes us good and

divinity
divine.
deification

divine, or that unapproach-

able semblance of the supreme goodness and

whereby we
For since
and

also are
this
is

made good and

the
principle

of
are

sanctification for those

so deified and sanctified,

essential principle of
all

who then He who is

the

principles (and there-

fore the principle of divinity

and goodness)

is

above that divinity and goodness by means

226

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

of

3*7
^
:

which

we

are

made good and

is

divine

moreover, since
prehensible,

He

inimitable

and incom-

'gvji

^^

prehension

He is above imitation and comas He is above those who imitate

tVe-v^t*-#
V!!* "^J^^^iJi

and partake of Him.

^ Inimitable^ etc. Man's goodness and sanctity can resemble God's only analogically, not absolutely. We cannot imitate the unique pre-eminence of God, though we may endeavour

*'f

e<i

with eventual success to

fulfils

fulfil

His

will perfectly, as

He

perfectly

His own

will.

Letter
To Dorotheus
the

V
Deacon
all things,

Summary.
and

Since God transcends

He
which

both sensible

intelligible,

can be known only by separation

intellect.

from the senses and the

Thus

the inaccess-

/"

ible light in

He

dwells

is

darkness by reason

of

its

excess.

The
in

divine darkness

is

the inaccessible
to

light

which
is

God

is

said

dwell.

And
it

since

He
that

invisible

by reason of the abundant

light,

outpouring

of supernatural
is

follows

whosoever

counted worthy to know

fact that

and see God, by the very

sees nor
is

he neither
that which
at the
^

knows Him,

attains

to

above sight and knowledge, and

that

same time perceives

things
^

God
"

is

beyond

all

both sensible and

{/J^erii.

intelligible,

saying

Beyond all things

it

irdvra),

not " in

or " with " all things,

has been translated, but " after " them i.e., from the human point of view, in which the natural comes before and is
as

nearer than the supernatural.

228

MYSTICAL THEOLOGY OF DIONYSIUS

with the Prophet,

229

"Thy knowledge
;

is
I

become
cannot

wonderful to
reach to
are told,
it."

me
In

it

is

high,

and

like

manner, St Paul,

we
to
;

knew God, when he knew Him

all

be above

knowledge and understanding

wherefore he says that His ways are unsearchable and His judgments inscrutable. His gifts

unspeakable, and His peace passing

standing
;

all

underis

as

one who had found

Him who

above
to
all

all

things,

and

whom

he had perceived

be above knowledge,

and separate from

all.

things, being the Creator of

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Abraham,
Alacoque,
102

Margaret Mary, 85, 119, 132, 174 Albertus Magnus, 57, 97, 195 Alexander, 198 Amalric of Bena, 167 Ambrosius Camaldulensis, 194

Chandler, 121 Clean thes, 127 Clement of Alexandria, 42 Clement, St, of Rome, 196 Clement v., 167 Colet, Dean, 206
Corderius, 82, 91, 195, 206, 209

Ammonius

Saccas, 147

Angela, B.,ofFoligno,7S, 123, 131 Apollinarians, 109 ApoUonius of Tyana, 154 Aquinas, St Thomas, 27, 42, 57, 70, 78, 93. 94. 97, X23, 127, 137, 19s. 205, 214, 220, 223
Aristotle, 56,

Darboy,

205
97,
98,

Augustine,

St, 42, 44, 100, 127, 157, 158

197, 200, 206 Decius, Emperor, 153 De la Combe, 172 Delacroix, 108, 1 10, 115 Denys, St, 194 D'Estrees, 172 Devine, 190 Dionysius, Areopagite,

13,

44,

100, 102 Bardenhewer, 206 Bartholomew, St, 210

Balthasar,

57, 82, 141, 149, 150, 152, 158, 164, 193 seq.

Beghards, 166 seq. Benedict XIV., 37, 72, 87, 113, 118 Bergson, H., 33 Bernard, St, 70, 113 Bigg, 1 54 Biran, Maine de, 115
Blosius, 94

Mystical Theology^ 207 Dionysius Carthusianus, 195 Dorotheus, letter to, 228 Dulac, 206

seq.

EcKHART,
85

79, 81, 82, 139, 143

Emmerich, Anne Catherine,

Engelhart, 206 Eriugena, J. S., 194 Eulogius, 194 Eusebius, 196 Everard, John, 206

34,

Boehme,

J., 161, 168 Bonaventure, St, 81 Bossuet, 74, 75, 172 Bradley, 128, 139 Buddhism, 128

seq.

Febronius, 185
226
Fichte, 161 Ficino, Marsilio, 195 Fox, 161 " Friends of God," 184

Caius,

letters to, 224,

la,

Calvin, 161 Chaise, P^re

172

231

232

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

147, 153

Gallienus, Emperor,

Gerson, 51, 59, 76, 77, 78 Gnosticism, 203 Gorres, 33, 115, 205

Maher, 116 Maximus, St, 194, 197 Migne, 206 Mohammed, 60

Molinos, 119, 171, 184 Monophysites, 193 Monothelites, 194 Montanus, 161 Moses, 165, 211

Gregory the Great, 194 Grosseteste, 194

Gunther, 109

Guyon, Madame,

171 seq., 175

Harnack,
Hartmann,

S3

128, 161, 169 Hegel, 139, 141, 161, 169 Hermas, 55 Hierotheus, 200 Hilduin, 194 Hipler, 199 Hobbes, 185

Neoplatonism,
153. 201, 203,

152,

154,

56, 60, 127, 147, 169, 195, 197,

209

Occam, 109

Pachymeres, 198
Paley, 30 Parker, 206 Paul, St, 52, 70, 95, 97, 109, 165, 199, 203, 229 Peter, St, 100, 199 Philo, II, 56, 198 Philostratus, 154 Plato, 56, 57, 60
Plotinus, 8, 10, 56, 127, 146 J^., 161, 201, 214 Porphyrj', 148, 153, 157

Hugo

of St Victor, 77, 81, 195 Hypatius, 193, 194

Ignatius,

St,

55
,

Illingworth, 30 Imitation of Christ 188, 189 Inge, II, 12, 26, 65, 180 Irving, 60, 161

Jacobi, 161, 169 James, 36, 72, 108,

no,

112,

"3
Jerome, St, 196 Joachim of Fiore, 60 John, St, 203

Poulain, 101
Priscilla,

60

Priscillian, 161

Proclus, 8, 10, 56, 161, 196, 197

John of the

Cross, St, 20, 36, 70, 74, 75, 83, 85, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102, 113, 119, 151, 152, 165, 171, 174, 209, 214
II.,

Recejac, 180
Ribet, 33

Joseph
124

185
100,

Julian of Norwich, 34, 85,

Richard of St Victor, 77, 81 Royce, 19 Ruysbroeck, 59, 70, 99, 132. 141,
142

Kant,

144, 161

St Hilaire, Barthelemy,
155 Sarrazenus, John, 194 Scaramelli, 97 Schelling, 169

151,

Koch, 196

Law, William, 121 Lejeune, 67

Lupton, 206
Luther, 161

Schopenhauer, Schram, 33

23, 128, l6l, 169

Macarius, 190
Maeterlinck, 11, 56

Segneri, 172 Severus, 193 Socrates, 55, 56

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Spinoza, 26, 128, 139, 141 Stiglmayer, 196, 205
Vercellensis, 194 Thorold, A., 124 Timothy, St, 197, 199, 208

233

Theologia Germanica, 141, 142

Thomas

206 Suarez, 190 Swedenborg,

Storf,

161, 170

Valla, Lorenzo,

Tauler,

59, 60, 80, 141, 142 Teresa, St, 34, 59, 64, 70, 74, 77. 83, 86, 96, 97, 99, 102, 113, 119, 131, 151, 152, 171, 174

\'aughan,

no

168, 195

Victorinus, 153 Vienne, Council

Virgil, 51

of,

167

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